


Hereditary I: Beacon

by Riggy_Minus



Series: Hereditary [4]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Adam Taurus being gross, Adventure, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, LGBT characters, Minor Character Death, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Romance, Seriously eff that guy, sorry Tukson ily
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-17
Updated: 2021-01-12
Packaged: 2021-03-03 18:42:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 35
Words: 150,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24770257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Riggy_Minus/pseuds/Riggy_Minus
Summary: A semester has come and gone, and Ruby Rose has found herself adjusting well to life at Beacon. She has friends in both her team and team JNPR, and has found two best friends in Jaune Arc and Pyrrha Nikos. Unfortunately, she and her sister's partner, Blake Belladonna, discovered Roman Torchwick has allied himself with the White Fang, and now as she attempts to focus on her life at Beacon, the machinations of the one behind the recent chaos in Vale draw ever nearer.
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long, Jaune Arc/Pyrrha Nikos, Jaune Arc/Pyrrha Nikos/Ruby Rose, Jaune Arc/Ruby Rose, Penny Polendina/Weiss Schnee, Pyrrha Nikos/Ruby Rose
Series: Hereditary [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1740427
Comments: 113
Kudos: 212





	1. A new semester looms overhead

**Author's Note:**

> Shucks it has been a while! Like a whole two weeks! I got really sick with some post-viral Covid stuff, and it totally threw me off! 
> 
> This chapter has been a bit of a rough barrier for me, but now that it's out and done, I should be back to writing more comfortably! My apologies for the wait! 
> 
> I'll be adding tags to the story as I go, if anyone thinks of one that applies, let me know! And please, leave comments, especially if you have criticisms or feedback that can help me improve as a writer!
> 
> Update: ack it forgot my lines so I readied them!!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Art by bmblbeaky on tumblr!

Stepping up to the stone slab resting near the end of the cliffside, Ruby took a deep breath, letting the breeze tussle her hair. Some part of her enjoyed the idea that it was her mother, playing with her hair, something Yang had told her several years ago, when she was a child. Looking down at the memorial before her, Ruby smiled softly, eyes gracing over the words etched in the stone. _Summer Rose:_ _Thus Kindly I Scatter._

“Hey mom!” There was a pep to her voice, however reserved it was, an excitement that she couldn’t easily contain. “Sorry I haven’t come by in a while; I know we spoke at Beacon’s memorial, but that’s just not the same, and since today’s the anniversary of-” She stopped, breath becoming erratic for a moment as she started playing with the edge of her cloak. Ruby forced herself to smile a little wider, moving her thoughts from dark things and onto something brighter. “Things have been, well, they’ve been pretty busy! I’ve been making friends! You met Jaune, but there’s Pyrrha as well! And the rest of their team, though I can’t say I’m quite as close with Ren and Nora as I am with Jaune and Pyrrha.” 

“Oh, um, dad’s here, too!” Her smile faltered a little, but quickly warmed. “He’s, well, you know! He’s _dad._ ” She gave a shrug, looking briefly back at her father, Taiyang Xiao Long, currently adjusting his boots while the family dog, Zwei, ran impatient circles around him. “I think he misses you a lot - adventuring, cooking - you know, whatever stuff you two did. No one ever tells me.” She took a deep breath, right hand brushing against the silver scattering rose brooch on her belt, playing with the grooves. “I miss you too, mom.”

“Haven’t gotten kicked out of Beacon yet! So, you know, that’s pretty cool.” She chuckled a little, pulling her hand away from the memento her mother left her. “I think being on a team with Yang helps a lot, even if she spends a _lot_ of time with her partner. Don’t tell anyone, but I think Yang might have a crush! I’ve never seen her so intent on spending time with someone who enjoys being alone before.” Pausing for a moment, Ruby let out a soft sigh. “You can tell that Yang’s learned a lot from dad, she’s a great fighter. Just like Weiss and Blake. They’re the rest of our team- Team RWBY! Yes, it does get confusing.”

“Blake is pretty cool, but she likes to keep an air of mystery around her. I guess that might be what Yang likes so much!” She shrugged, not really sure what made someone attractive to another person. “She likes to read, like me, but her books are _weird_ . There’s a lot less heroes saving the day and a lot more kissing and… _stuff._ ” 

“Weiss is pretty cool, too, if you’ll pardon the pun! That was a joke, because Weiss is from Atlas. Get it?” At the expected silence, Ruby gave a sheepish grin. “Right, I should probably leave the puns to Yang. She’s a lot better at them. Anyways, Weiss is my partner! She’s not as mean as she used to be, but she has a lot of expectations of me and it’s hard to meet them! I had to skip two years ahead, and it wasn’t because I was the top of my class.”

“With them and Team JNPR - those were the friends I mentioned earlier - I’m friends with a lot more people than I was at Signal.” Ruby smiled, though even she could tell it wouldn’t reach her eyes. “Things are a lot better for me at Beacon than they were at Signal. Even if there’s a few bullies who are attending, they’ve stopped now that I managed to best Cardin in combat class. The teachers are weird, though, outside of Professor Goodwitch. She’s just serious. People think she’s mean but she isn’t, she’s actually really cool! She just puts on this stoic air, but I could see she was proud of me when I beat Cardin!”

“Dad’s talked a little about how proud Professor Port is, but it’s a lot different actually having him as a teacher. He’s so _boring_ with all his stories, but there’s a hint of some useful information hidden in them. I wonder why he doesn’t teach normally, do you think he just likes the sound of his voice?” Ruby asked, before giggling at the thought. “Professor Oobleck isn’t _too_ bad, so long as I’m not too tired. He speaks really fast, but after all the times he’s visited dad, I’m kind of used to it! I just wish he taught more interesting stuff, oh well.” 

“We’ve, uh, we’ve stopped some bad guys, too!” Ruby announced, her excitement matched only with nervousness. “Well, um, Blake and I did! I guess it’s like they say: like mother, like daughter!” A sigh escaped her lips again as her smile faded. “I still don’t know why Ozpin let me into Beacon Academy early. Was it really because I impressed him fighting Torchwick? I didn’t even win! That weird fire lady made sure of that. I’m okay at fighting but I don’t know that it’s really enough to qualify. I hope he’ll tell me, soon. I haven’t gotten to talk much with him, but the more I do, the more he starts to sound like Uncle Qrow, isn’t that weird?”

“Ruby!”

“Oh! That’s dad, he must be ready. There’s only a few days left before the start of the semester, so I have to head back to Beacon soon.” Ruby explained, a warm smile on her face as she pulled up her red hood, taking in a relaxed breath with her nose. “I’m glad I got to speak with you again, mom. I hope I’m making you proud, wherever you are. I hope you aren’t disappointed that I decided to become a Huntress, just like you.” Stepping back, she turned around, blinking her eyes clear as tears threatened to come out. Looking back at the slab, her smile grew slightly. “Thank you mom, it was good to talk to you again.”

* * *

Waving goodbye to Yang as she parted ways from her sister, Ruby gave a slightly relieved sigh. Ever since she took _one_ hit from Torchwick when she found, wait, no, that didn’t sound as positive as she’d like, when she _was helping_ Blake, Yang had been a bit of a bullhead parent. Well, sister, but the sentiment was the same. Looking at her scroll, Ruby gave a cheerful smile as she sent a message to Pyrrha and Jaune, keen on meeting them as soon as she could. After a few seconds, she received a pleasant chime on her scroll, and found a reply from Jaune, suggesting they meet up near the gardens. It wasn’t their usual hangout, but Ruby wasn’t going to fuss about it, she just wanted to see her friends after a week away!

None of that mattered, though, as she made her way across the campus in a blur of red, only stopping as she collided with something sturdy and fell flat on her butt. “Miss Rose,” oh dear that was not the kind of person she wanted to bump into while running with her semblance. Looking up, she met the ever sincere almond eyes of Professor Ozpin. “I would advise you not to rely on your semblance when traversing the campus, you never know when it’ll be Glynda you bump into, and not me.” 

“I, um, yes sir!” Ruby squeaked, standing up and patting her skirt straight, looking anywhere but the headmaster’s gaze. “I was, um, I was in a hurry. I’ll be more careful.”

“Now, now. There’s no need to look so worried.” She looked up to find him offering a polite smile, though there was still a look in his eyes that she just couldn’t quite place, maybe like a grandparent looking after a grandchild? She wasn’t sure, she’d never met her grandparents. “It was a simple mistake, just do your best to keep it in mind in future.”

“I’ll do my best, sir.” Ruby did her best to sound less nervous than she felt, given the situation, shoulders sagging as she exhaled loudly after Professor Ozpin excused himself with a nod. Gosh he was intimidating, even if he was pretty affable, too. Careful not to set off immediately in a rush of petals, Ruby had a small smile on her face as she made her way towards the gardens, humming softly to herself as she entered the verdant expanse.

The gardens were, in a word, immaculate. Staff worked year round to tend to them, and it was undoubtedly worth it, in Ruby's opinion. At the center of it all was Professor Peach's classroom, held in a large, but cozy, greenhouse. That didn't matter today, though, as Ruby was far more interested in finding the duo from team JNPR that awaited her. Spotting Jaune and Pyrrha sitting at one of the many benches placed on the paths that ran throughout the garden, Ruby exploded into a blur of crimson petals. Appearing in front of the pair with a gleeful cackle as Jaune let out a startled shriek, she grinned as Pyrrha let out her usual warm chuckle. 

"Good afternoon, Ruby." She greeted the excitable younger girl, inviting her to sit with them, patting the space between the pair. As Ruby squeezed into place between the two, Pyrrha looked down at her, offering a pleasant smile. “How was your trip to Patch?"

“It was great!” Ruby exclaimed, finding it hard to keep from bouncing in her seat as she made herself comfortable. “Getting to see my dad was really nice… I didn’t realize how much I’d missed him until I saw him again.” 

“Yeah, I can… I can imagine.” The disheartened tone in Jaune’s voice wasn’t something Ruby liked to hear, but she understood: he still felt guilty about leaving home. Putting a hand on his leg, she offered him a supportive smile, which seemed to help as his expression softened. "So, uh, anyways! What did you and Yang do on Patch?"

"Huh? Oh! Well, we had dad's birthday celebration! I can't believe he's 41." Ruby chuckled sheepishly, shrugging her shoulders. "I was hoping my uncle would turn up, but I guess he's a bit busy, still."

“He’s the one who taught you how to use your scythe, right?” Pyrrha jumped into the conversation, while giving Jaune a sympathetic smile, hoping he’d appreciate the continued attempt to redirect the conversation.

“Yeah! I always really looked up to him, he was there a lot when I was younger and, well, my dad wasn’t.” Ruby gave a somewhat sad smile, but it soon brightened. “I knew I wanted to use a scythe since I was six years old, and he helped me a whole lot in learning how. First he had me start out with just a quarterstaff, he wanted me to have an appreciation for the finesse needed using a polearm.”

“Sounds like a lot of work,” Jaune noted, giving Pyrrha a grateful smile in return. “It certainly helped, though, you’re like a master now!”

“Ah, well, I wouldn’t say I’m a master!” Ruby scoffed, ducking her head in embarrassment. “I’m like, at most maybe an expert! My Uncle Qrow is way better than me! I only hope I can get anywhere near as great as him someday.”

“Hey, you’ll get there!” Jaune insisted, ruffling her hair much to Ruby’s chagrin, her cheeks flushing at the attention. “You’re way ahead of me, Ruby. I hope I can follow in your and Pyrrha’s example.”

“You shouldn’t be so hard on yourself, Jaune, you’ve progressed greatly in these past couple months since we started training.” Pyrrha frowned a little at Jaune’s lack of confidence, before shaking her head, deciding to change the subject again, after all, that’s why she asked that they both come to the gardens! “So, um, anyways, I was wondering. Would the two of you like to accompany me to Vale today? I know you just got back from Patch, Ruby, but I was just curious if maybe we could spend a day out in the city?”

“A day out in the city?” Jaune looked a bit perplexed as he accepted, his brow raised in curiosity. “Sure, but why didn’t you ask me before we came here, Pyrrha?”

“Ah, well, I was just…” Ruby was a bit confused why Pyrrha was so flustered by Jaune’s question, offering the older girl a reassuring smile to her friend. “Well, I wanted to invite you _and_ Ruby. I enjoy spending time with the both of you.”

That was a weird thing to be embarrassed by, in Ruby’s opinion, but the invitation made her face light up with joy. “Oh! Um, I’d be happy to come along, Pyrrha! It’s still pretty early so we should have time, right?”

“Ah, yes. Well, I had one place I wanted to go in particular, a bookstore Blake recommended me over the break.” At the curious look Ruby gave her, Pyrrha chuckled, before elaborating. “It’s called Tukson’s Book Trade. Blake had a rather rare book the other day, and when I asked her where she got it, that’s where she directed me.”

“I’m uh, happy to go, but I don’t really read a lot like either of you.” Jaune chuckled, but there was a hit of shame Ruby could recognize in his tone. Frowning at the idea of her friend being unhappy, she hopped up from the bench in a flurry of petals, one hand around Jaune’s, the other around Pyrrha’s. 

“Let’s go to the arcade after we visit the bookstore!” She exclaimed, a determined look in her eyes as she met Jaune and Pyrrha’s. “I-If you want to that is, I get it if you don’t.” Wow, she deflated quickly. It was hard to be super assertive about this kind of stuff. “I just figured that Jaune might enjoy it and I know you’ve probably not gotten to go to one, at least not in a while, Pyrrha.”

“That sounds lovely, Ruby.” Wait, it did? Thank the Brothers for Pyrrha’s kind attitude! “You’re certainly right, though. My agent never really let me do that kind of stuff, so it’s been… five, maybe six years since I last visited an arcade.” Oh, that was kind of sad. Having an agent who controlled so much of her life must’ve been really difficult, not that Ruby thought Pyrrha would ever actually complain about it.

“Yeah, that’s a great idea!” Jaune affirms, giving Ruby a kind smile. “I do have to warn you though, I won’t go easy on either of you when we get there!” The confident smirk he gave her and Pyrrha made Ruby chuckle a little, but she was happy to see him a little more positive. Hopefully that attitude would keep up for the upcoming semester! 

* * *

It was crowded in Vale today, though that wasn’t a big surprise to Ruby. The Vytal festival was later that year, so of course the hustle and bustle of people continuing to work on preparations for the soon to be arriving tourists. She had been maybe a little too eager to get to the bookstore, and now Pyrrha and Ruby were waiting for Jaune as he… got past his poor adaptation to her semblance’s rush. Pyrrha was looking a little green, too, but she definitely handled the rush of speed and loss of sensation that Ruby’s semblance brought. 

“So, Ruby!” She looked up at the sound of Pyrrha’s voice, still feeling a bit flustered herself after using her semblance on the duo without them being prepared. “That’s what it feels like to experience your semblance? Maybe I was wrong just assuming it was speed.” 

“Um, y-yeah! I hope you didn’t mind it.” As if to reassure her, Pyrrha placed a hand on Ruby’s shoulder and gave her a warm smile. “I always just thought it was speed, but do you really think it’s not just that?”

"Maybe a part of it, but certainly not all of it. We were, well, almost immaterial when you sped up." Pyrrha explained, leading Ruby to a bench while they chatted, easily in view of where Jaune would return. "I had to study a lot of different kinds of semblances as part of my training in Argus, and while unique to each person, for the most part, they also share many familiar traits. I've never heard of a speed semblance that makes the user become a completely different thing while moving like yours has."

"Really? Well, I-I don't really know. I didn't have semblance classes at Signal since I've had mine since before starting there." Ruby ducks her head a little shamefully, but her expression lightens at Pyrrha's smile. "I guess I kind of turn into rose petals when I use my semblance, but I figured that was just a side effect, like with my mom."

"Your mom had a semblance like yours?"

"I'm not really sure, to be honest. I only have vague memories of her." Ruby refused to frown at the thought of her mother, though her hand went to the inherited emblem, brushing her thumb against it. "I know that she used to make rose petals, too. I remember that much."

Ruby let out a startled squeak as Pyrrha suddenly brought her into a sideways embrace, an arm wrapped around her, holding the smaller girl against Pyrrha, before the older girl let go with an awkward "I'm sorry!" Ruby looked up at Pyrrha, curious why her friend was blushing so much. "I'm sorry, Ruby. I just… it's a shame that you don't have many memories of her. Even though I never knew my father, I have memories of who he was: videos, pictures, the stories my mother would tell. After she met my stepmother, she still made an effort to make sure I knew who he was." 

"I understand why my dad won't, it's… it's too hard on him. He was, um, broken, after my mom died." Ruby said softly, causing Pyrrha to jump slightly as she leaned against the older girl, who responded by hesitantly returning to the hug she'd given moments before. "He still doesn't go on missions, at all. It's been just over twelve years since... since mom died, and he's not once been on a mission. He's more _there_ now than he used to be, but… it's like he's missing a part of himself."

"Sometimes, we can't imagine a world without the people we love, Ruby." Pyrrha's words were soft, but lacking some of her usual dulcet tone as she hugged Ruby a little closer. "And when we're forced to confront it, it can be too much. Some people, like your father, might never fully recover."

"I hope he can, one day." Ruby sighed, not really content, but at least satisfied as she rested against Pyrrha. A few minutes passed, and Jaune finally returned to view, Ruby hopping up from the bench cheerfully and pulling him and Pyrrha into an impromptu embrace, smiling widely. As she released them, Jaune whimpering about his back, she smiled brightly. "Okay, no more using my semblance. Pyrrha! Lead the way!"

Today was going to be a great day.


	2. Out on the town

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A day out on the town! How exciting! Spending time with two of her besties, no, her two bestest besties, was a great way to spend the day, especially just hanging out with them in Vale. Now if only people would stop asking Pyrrha for autographs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really enjoyed this chapter! Once I started writing, I just couldn't stop! I hope you'll all enjoy it as well.
> 
> As always, I'd love comments, feedback, and advice! Thank you for reading!!!

It was NOT a great day! At all! Well, maybe that was a little unfair, but their journey to the bookstore had been really annoying! This was the fourth time they were stopped by a weird guy giving Pyrrha strange glances while asking for an autograph. Ruby really hated it, if only because of how rude they were being! Pyrrha obviously was uncomfortable but they didn’t seem to care at all! If this was the price of celebrity, Ruby couldn’t envy her friend at all.

After the latest interloper left with his autograph, Pyrrha let out a loud sigh, and Ruby pouted, before grabbing her friend’s hand. “Hey, I have an idea!” She announced, before unclasping her cloak and handing it to the older girl, not missing the look of shock marring the faces of Pyrrha and Jaune. “I, um, I know it’s important, but I trust you to take care of it, and if you wear the hood, maybe no one else will pester you!”

“If you’re sure, Ruby.” Pyrrha’s warm smile as she hesitantly accepted the cloak, using the clasps offered by Ruby to hook it around her, hiding her ponytail beneath the finely woven cloth. It was definitely a little silly looking on Pyrrha versus Ruby, the older girl’s added height leading to the cloak barely cutting off at her hips. “It’s really soft! I was expecting something more rough, given how durable it seems to be.”

“Ah, well, you know… you get what you pay for! Making that cost me like a year of my allowance, but I really wanted to make one like my mom had.” Ruby chuckled nervously, ducking her head a little at the compliment. “She was planning on teaching me how to sew like she did, but, after she, um, went missing on her last mission, I had to learn from notebooks she left behind. It apparently used to be a bit of a family tradition. You have to weave your aura into the cloth while you make it, it makes the material stronger.”

“That’s incredible, Ruby. I had no idea there were those sorts of techniques.” Pyrrha commented, the genuine surprise in her voice causing Ruby to feel a slight hint of pride in her dedication to learn how to work cloth like her mother had. “I suppose that kind of work has largely become forgotten in the rise of industry.”

“Reminds me a bit of the stuff my mom would say back home.” Jaune piped up, smiling at the others as he caught up, having lingered behind a little after the first couple hostile glances Pyrrha’s fans had given him. “She talked about how the wine we made was valuable because we didn’t rely on automation. I don’t know that she’s right at all, but it was certain her excuse for why she had us helping in the vineyard.” 

“Your family owns a vineyard?” Ruby cocked her head to the side in curiosity. She certainly wasn’t interested in wine given her uncle’s… proclivity towards it, but she had some knowledge of it from the stock he kept at her dad’s home. “That’s pretty cool! Is it one of the ones in the agricultural district?” 

“No, we lived in Domremy, on the other side of the Valean Mountain Range, at the Eastern Coast.” Jaune explained, Ruby flinching slightly as she remembered that Jaune had mentioned living in Domremy before, though he never really explained where it was. “It was land gifted to my family after the Great War. Part of an effort to promote growth in the lands lost during the war.”

“That’s interesting, I wonder if we’ll hear about them at all during Doctor Oobleck’s class this semester.” Pyrrha commented, eliciting a playful pout from Ruby. “I know, you aren’t a big fan of history, Ruby, but it’s important that we be aware of our past.”

“I know! I just wish he was a little more exciting in his class!”

“More exciting?” Jaune scoffed, chuckling a little at Ruby’s stricken expression. “Ruby, you’re probably one of the only students in class who can understand him with how fast he speaks, and you don’t even listen.” At the more genuine pout she gave following that, he gave a soft sigh, reaching out and ruffling her hair. “It’s fine that you don’t enjoy his class, Ruby, I just don’t think the rest of us could handle him making things “more exciting” than they already are.”

“I guess that’s fair, I just wish he acted more like when he’d visit my dad. He used to play some fun games back when I’d first found my semblance and had trouble slowing down.” Ruby smiled a little thinking of the memories of her childhood. While she never held him to quite as high a regard as Uncle Qrow, Doctor Oobleck was a nice influence in her life, especially when her dad was busy with work sometimes, and he was free. “So, um, Pyrrha! How much longer do you think it’ll be?” 

“Hmm, not too much longer.” Pyrrha replied after a moment of pondering, taking a look at the map on her scroll. “It’s a bit closer to the Faunus district than I was expecting, but that’s not a problem to any of us. I just wish I’d suggested we take a bus.”

“Oooooh! Do you think maybe it’s run by a Faunus?” Ruby asked, unable to contain her interest. Blake had recommended the shop to Pyrrha, so maybe that was a connection. “We didn’t have a lot of Faunus on Patch. I blame the Winchester family.”

“You had to live on the same island as that jerk?” Jaune asked, an almost pitying tone to his voice, though Ruby could tell it wasn’t really aimed at her. 

“Yeah. He was really determined to date Yang back when they were at Signal.” She shuddered at the thought, sticking her tongue out in disgust. “He never could get over the fact that she kept turning him down. I bet he’s the one who started so many rude rumors about her when we were at school.”

“I certainly wouldn’t put it past him.” Pyrrha commented, still keeping most of her focus on her scroll’s map. “He seems like the sort of spiteful person who would lie about an object of his desire, in some foolish attempt to make them feel so low that they’d give in to his demands.”

“Well, Yang would never! She’s way too cool to give in to rumors like that!” Ruby couldn’t control the pride that bubbled over as she talked about her sister, smiling brightly. “The most that ever came of it was more than a couple guys finding themselves in the infirmary getting tended to by Mrs. Cerulean after trying to make a pass on her!” 

“Now that doesn’t seem too surprising to me,” Pyrrha chuckled, her lips forming into a slight smirk. “I envy that part of her sometimes, she seems so free. I would never be able to get away with sending any of my classmates to the infirmary at Argus, even some of the more… obsessed ones.” 

“Obsessed ones?” The concerned, almost agitated tone Jaune’s voice had was something that was mirrored by Ruby’s worried expression. After the fans of hers that they had already encountered, Ruby was a little worried what could lead to Pyrrha considering someone obsessed. “You don’t mean that they were, well, harassing you, do you?”

“Well,” the way Pyrrha’s face sunk as she spoke made Ruby’s heart ache, she didn’t really understand why, but at the very least, she knew it hurt to see her friend with that kind of pained expression. “There was one boy, a year ahead of me. He was… a dedicated fan. He would- he would follow me sometimes, when he didn’t think I’d notice. My agent didn’t want me to do anything about it, but my Stepmother told me that was b- that was a bad idea. She’d seen how out of hand that kind of obsession could get, so when I asked him to stop and he didn’t relent, she… persuaded him not to stalk me anymore.”

Ruby didn’t know when she’d moved closer to Pyrrha, or grabbed her hand, but she gave it a tight squeeze, offering the older girl a concerned smile. “If anyone does that kind of stuff at Beacon, please let us know, Pyrrha.” 

“She’s right,” Jaune spoke up, standing on Pyrrha’s other side, his normally goofy demeanor absent. “That kind of stuff is never okay, and your agent was full of crap if they thought it was just something to ignore.”

“I… Thank you.” Ruby hated how relieved Pyrrha sounded to hear the joint declaration she had given with Jaune, but happy that the older girl returned the squeeze with her hand. “It means a lot to me, to have your support.”

“Hey, we’ll always be there for you, Pyrrha.” Jaune insisted, his voice warm as he smiled at the two girls. “At least, as long as you aren’t sick of us!”

“I don’t think I’ll ever be sick of you. Of either of you.” Pyrrha retorted, Ruby noticing the light pink hue her cheeks had suddenly taken on. The trio remained somewhat silent for the rest of their journey, Jaune and Ruby just happy to provide some company for Pyrrha, who seemed to really enjoy having the two of them around. 

* * *

It took almost thirty minutes before they arrived at Tukson’s Book Trade, but by the time they arrived, Ruby had finally recognized the area they were in. “I know where we are!” She exclaimed cheerfully, rushing in front of Pyrrha and Jaune with a wide smile. “This is near where I, uh, impressed Professor Ozpin by stopping a robbery! I wonder if the store is open again, yet.”

“Well, maybe we can check it out on the way to an arcade, after we’ve stopped at the bookstore?” Jaune suggested, his left hand having found its way into Pyrrha’s right, though it might’ve been there for a while, and Ruby just hadn’t noticed while she was holding onto Pyrrha’s left hand. “It could be fun to see the place that led to you coming to Beacon two years early!”

“Aw, w-well, y’know, it’s not  _ that _ big of a deal!” Ruby insisted, her cheeks flushing as she ducked her head, looking a bit awkward with the lack of her hood. As if noticing how different it looked when she did that without her cloak, Pyrrha unclasped it, handing it back to the younger girl. “Huh? Are you sure you don’t want it anymore?” 

“I’m positive, Ruby. It helped a lot, but we’re at the bookstore now, and it doesn’t look like it’s very crowded.” Pyrrha said softly, smiling down at the nervous redhead. “Besides, it really completes your cute look, it feels wrong to deprive you of it for so long.”

Ruby let out an embarrassed, quickly setting up her hood again before they entered the store, her eyes darting around curiously. While she didn’t know how accurate the slogan “everybook under the sun” was (that was an awful lot of books, after all!) she certainly had to admire the large collection. She hadn’t seen this many books in one place outside of Signal and Beacon’s libraries, though she was sure the libraries in Vale also dwarfed it, but she could tell that a lot of the books here were also on the older side, which usually meant they were rare. 

“Ah, just a moment!” A voice called out from the back room, pulling Ruby out of the haze she’d entered looking around the place aimlessly. Just a few seconds later, a large, stout-chested man stepped out from the backroom, dusting off his sleeves as he arrived at the counter. “Hello! Welcome to Tukson’s Book Trade, home to every book under the sun! Is there anything I can help you with?” 

“Ah! Um, m-me?” Ruby noticed she had found herself still at the lead of the group, looking around nervously as Pyrrha and Jaune just smiled at her. “Um, well, my friend Blake recommended we come here, so, you know, here we are! Um, do you have any collections of fairy tales?”

The large man’s gaze narrowed every so briefly, brow furrowed in consternation, before he relaxed, offering a polite smile to the hooded girl. “Our fairy tales will be to the left, though if you’re looking for any rare ones in particular, I might only have them in the back.” 

“Thank you!” Ruby squeaked out nervously, before blurring into a cloud of rose petals, reappearing to the left wall of the story, speeding about as she looked at book titles. The hyperactive activity elicited a soft chuckle from Pyrrha who stepped up to the counter, asking the man for a particular book, though Ruby couldn’t hear what she said. 

“So, whatcha looking at?” Ruby jumped in surprise as Jaune asked her a question, not having been paying enough attention to hear the boy sneak up on her. Seeing the soft smile he was giving her, Ruby ducked her head into her hood a little. 

“Oh, well, you know! Fairy tales!” Ruby managed to get out, smiling nervously. She’d talked a little with Jaune about her fascination with old fairy tales, but it was still difficult to talk about after her “friends” at Signal had shown so little interest in her hobby. “I noticed that he had a lot of old books around, so I figured some might have some stories I haven’t seen yet! H-How about you, any luck with comics?” 

“Yep!” Jaune grinned, holding up a few issues of X-ray and Vav and an issue of Camp Camp. “You have luck finding anything?”

“Yeah, a few collections! There’s one by the Brothers Grey that collected stories from around the Kingdom of Vale that’s a reprint of a book nearly 150 years old! It’ll be really interesting to see the differences! Oh! And I found a copy of  _ The Boy Who Fell From the Sky _ ! Those are really rare. I only hope that I’ll have enough to get them both…”

“Well, I think I can help with that.” The dulcet tone of Pyrrha’s voice interrupted, causing Ruby to let out a sound she could only describe as a squawk in surprise, the chuckling from her friends that followed, though clearly not mocking, certainly didn’t help, her cheeks coloring in embarrassment again. “Really, I don’t mind getting everyone’s things. If you have to deal with my fans, the least I can do is get our books.”

“Pyrrha, you don’t have to!” Jaune insisted, though she waved a hand dismissively. 

“I don’t mind, really. I’m getting a rather rare volume, written by our headmaster himself, I’m glad that Mister Tukson had one in stock.” Pyrrha explained, smiling warmly at the duo. “Come on, now, let’s get to the counter.”

Ruby was a little reluctant to accept, not wanting to take advantage of a friend’s money, but she knew that there was nothing she could say to change Pyrrha’s mind. She’d just have to view this as a gift, one that she’d have to repay at some point. Perhaps she could make Pyrrha a hooded cape, to help get around without being pestered? As they arrived at the counter, Tukson looked a little impatient, quickly ringing up the items, placing them all in a bag, along with another book, Ruby almost missed. “H-Hey, we didn’t get that one!” She squeaked out, causing the large man to pale slightly, shaking his head.

“It’s for Blake, you said you were friends, right?” He explained, though Ruby felt like the excuse was a bit haphazard, given how nervous the man looked. “She was looking for this, but she hasn’t been around in several months, so I don’t know if I’ll see her again before moving to Vacuo. Tell her I said thank you, for all her business last year.” 

“I, um, okay!” Ruby squeaked out, looking a bit nervous about it, but agreeing. Blake  _ had _ recommended them the place, so of course she knew the owner! As Pyrrha finished paying, she handed Ruby the bag, smiling down at the shorter girl. As they left the store, Ruby gave a friendly wave to the owner as he entered the backroom again. “Thank you, Mister Tukson!” 

* * *

The trio soon found themselves standing out front of another store, this time, one that Ruby found very familiar: From Dust Till Dawn. This time, Ruby was careful not to speed out of her place now between Jaune and Pyrrha, and thankfully in the brief walk from Tukson’s Book Trade to there, no one had pestered Pyrrha for an autograph. “So, um. Here we are!” She blurted out, looking up at her friends nervously, though she relaxed a little as they offered reassuring smiles. “Um, I guess let’s head inside!” 

Entering the store, the “newly re-opened!” banner waving above the door, Ruby smiled a little. It was weird, coming back here, but she felt a little proud. Sure, it had taken the owner longer than she’d like to reopen, but he might not have been able to at all if she hadn’t been there and interrupted Torchwick’s robbery. Seeing the place restocked gave her a warm feeling of accomplishment, knowing that she had helped. “Um! Hello!” Ruby called out, looking around for the owner, who didn’t seem to be at the counter. “That’s weird… Wanna come look at the albums for sale with me?” 

“Sure, why not?” Pyrrha asked, Jaune nodding in agreement as they followed her through the store, which thankfully hadn’t really changed its layout at all. Finding herself in front of the CD rack she was reading magazines in front of just four and a half months ago when the robbery began, Ruby smiled brightly, reaching her hand out to the nearest album when the door to the store opened with a rather sudden push, causing her to jump. 

“Hello? Is anyone there?” Pyrrha asked, taking point as the three approached the entrance, only to find the owner finally there, looking rather exasperated and frustrated. “Is something wrong sir?”

“Hmmm?” The old man looked up, noticing the trio, before his expression softened on spotting Ruby. Quickly, he apologized for startling them, and explained he’d lost his wallet while he was working outside. Happy to see the huntress trainee who had helped defend his store from Roman Torchwick earlier that year, he offered them a hefty discount, which Ruby was happy to take advantage of to buy a couple new albums and a new issue of Weapons Magazine. 

Stepping outside the store, Ruby let free a relaxed sigh. “That was nice,” she exclaimed cheerfully, turning around to smile widely at her friends. “I didn’t realize how good it would feel to actually meet someone I’d helped like that, but… it really feels nice! I-I hope I can experience this feeling a lot as a huntress.”

“I’m sure you will, Ruby.” Jaune said, offering a supportive pat on the shoulder. Her smile brightened, and she felt her cheeks warm again, only for her blood to go cold as a loud crack rang out in the middle of the cloudless day. “Wh-What was that?” Jaune blurted out, his hand drifting away from Ruby, a startled expression marring his face.

“That was a gunshot.” Pyrrha confirmed, much to Ruby’s dread, reaching down to grab her weapons, the familiar hum of her Polarity as Akoúo̱ slid into its place on her wrist. “We should go, quickly.”

Ruby nodded, finding it hard to speak as she rushed towards the sound of the gunshot, not even realizing she’d tapped into her semblance until she found herself in front of the bookstore they’d entered not an hour before. “No…” She whimpered, finding the door not properly shut as she pushed against it, quickly pulling out Crescent Rose in her compact form, just in case. 

Unfortunately, all she found was the body of the store’s proprietor, that they’d bought from just a little while ago. The growing knot in her stomach seemed to snap, and Ruby screamed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry. I didn't really mean for it to go this way when I started, but then I realized how close together From Dust Till Dawn and Tukson's Book Trade were. Things will get better, I promise!


	3. Message in a book-le

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Confronted with an awful sight, Jaune and Pyrrha do their best process what they had seen and comfort Ruby, who seems particularly horrified by the slaying of the innocent bookseller.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hahaha this one's a bit better than the last! Certainly some more comfort after all that hurt. 
> 
> As always, please leave feedback, comments, criticisms! Anything at all. Thank you for reading!

“How is she?”

Jaune looked up towards Pyrrha, frowning as he continued to cradle Ruby’s head against his chest. She had long since fallen asleep, her cheeks now slick with tears. He hated seeing her like this, someone who he had only seen as a beacon of innocence should never be so broken as she had looked when they caught up to her, sobbing in terror as she clung to him. “She’s… she’s asleep now. I hope that she won’t dream of what she saw.”

“We both hope that, Jaune.” Jaune could hear the melancholy in Pyrrha’s voice, not like the sad tone her voice had sometimes taken when talking about her life as a celebrity, more heartbroken, if he had to guess. “I finished giving our report to the police, and Professor Goodwitch is on her way. Ruby shouldn’t have to… retouch on what she saw, unless she wishes to. I hope she’ll at least speak to Professor Goodwitch, though, to get it off her mind. It does no good to let that linger.”

“What about us? About _you_?” Jaune asked, looking back down towards Ruby, a little relaxed by the soft expression on her face. At least her dreams seemed to be something better, right now. “We both saw that… that mess, Pyrrha. He was… it wasn’t pretty.”

“I guess this is your lack of Combat School coming through.” Pyrrha gave a short laugh, though even Jaune could tell it was forced. “They have a class dedicated to helping… inundate us to risks of being a Huntsmen, including helping acclimate us with sights like… that. Ruby skipped ahead, though. I don’t think she ever got a chance to take that class.” 

“Yeah, I guess not.” Jaune noted, sighing again. This was just… it was all such a mess. Today had been great, if he had to say so, at least, up until they heard that gunshot. Ruby was the fastest of them to the scene, but none of them had spotted a killer, and Ruby… Ruby had gotten an eyeful of the mess that had been left behind of Tukson. Brushing some hair out of Ruby’s face, he held her a little closer. He wished he could’ve been there, to shield her eyes from that. There was no need for her to see that body. The mess of blood and gore that had covered the bookstore. “I’m… I’m okay. Back in Domremy, I helped at the emergency infirmary sometimes, when we had a Grimm attack. We aren’t as heavily defended as Argus, so when there are nasty sea Grimm, we usually see some bad wounds in the town watch.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.” Pyrrha said softly, placing a reassuring hand on Jaune’s shoulder, giving a supportive squeeze. He smiled slightly, looking back at her. “We’re going to need to be there for Ruby, though, if she needs us.”

“Yeah. We will be, for sure.” He agreed, nodding gently as he looked down towards Ruby, running his thumb across her tear-stained cheek. “I hope she’ll let us.”

“I’m sure she will, Jaune.” Jaune could hear the hopeful tone beneath Pyrrha’s sorrow, as she sat beside him, jumping slightly as she leaned against him, reaching out to run her hand through Ruby’s hair. “We just… need to be ready to give her time. She’s a Huntress, through and through, she won’t be broken by this.”

“You’re right, I’m just scared.” Jaune admitted, frowning slightly as he rested his head against Pyrrha’s. “Wh-when I heard her scream like that, it was like the blood froze in my veins. What if… what if whoever had gotten to Tukson was still there? What if we were too late?”

“We weren’t, Jaune. Whoever did this was gone by the time Ruby got there.” Jaune breathed in quickly, ready to retort before Pyrrha placed her free index finger against his lips. “You can’t let yourself dwell on the what ifs in a situation like this, Jaune. She’s here with us, unharmed, physically at least. We have to believe that she’ll come back from this, that she won’t let this break her will.”

“I’m just… I’m scared, Pyrrha.” He confessed, looking into her emerald eyes as he tried to keep the tears from his. “Everything just became a lot more real than it had been, for all of us. Ruby’s fought criminals before, but they’re… they’re willing to kill her, and I don’t know that she’s willing to kill them.”

“We have to trust in our teachers, then.” Pyrrha sighed, overlapping her hand with Jaune’s as he made to brush through Ruby’s hair. He felt his face flush slightly, not that he was exactly surprised. He was cradling one of the cutest girls in the school, with one of the most beautiful sitting beside him. If the situation wasn’t so dire, he’d have thought he was dreaming, instead, this was more of a waking nightmare. “They’re trained to help her more than we are, especially about this. All we can do is be there if she wants us, to offer an ear if she needs to vent.”

“We’ll be there.” It was all Jaune knew he could say, but he was certain of it. The trio remained there, Jaune and Pyrrha tending to Ruby as she slept, until Glynda arrived to pick them up. By the look on her face when she approached, this was the last thing she wanted to do on a Friday evening, but as soon as she spotted Ruby, her expression softened into concern. Jaune sat a little straighter up, though it was hard to look professional in the position he and Pyrrha were in, clearing his throat. “Um, Professor. We’re sorry for the inconvenience.”

Jaune realized he shouldn’t have said that when Professor Goodwitch sighed at his comment, giving him a dissatisfied glare. “You didn’t come out here in Vale today looking to come across a killing like that, you have nothing to apologize for.” Shifting her gaze towards Pyrrha, Glynda’s brow shifted up slightly, before resettling. “There’s a bullhead awaiting us at the top of the precinct. We should go now, and get Miss Rose to a proper bed.”

* * *

When Ruby awoke, she let out a startled screech, chest rising and falling in a desperate gasp for air as she slowly took in her surroundings. She was in something metal, in someone’s arms? “Hey there, Ruby.” She heard a familiar voice groan, turning to see Jaune, the boy having been cradling her on their flight back to Beacon. She started to stutter out an apology but he shook his head. “Hey, it’s okay. You don’t need to say sorry, not right now. Especially not right now.”

“Jaune? What happened?” She mumbled out, rubbing at her eyes, finding them still a bit puffy. Why were they puffy? She had been crying, why had she been- her eyes widened, pupils sharpening like pinpricks as what had happened came to mind. “J-Jaune! M-Mister Tukson! H-He was-”

“Ruby, you don’t need to tell us.” Pyrrha’s interrupted, resting a hand on Ruby’s shoulder and offering her a pained smile. “We know that what you saw was… not ideal. You don’t have to talk about it. Not with us, not right now. Not ever, if you don’t want to.” 

“B-But he was… he was…” Ruby choked back a sob, burying her head against Jaune’s chest, the older boy quick to help hold her against him as she started to cry again. “I-I wasn’t fast enough. I couldn’t help him.”

“Ruby, don’t say that.” Jaune said, the seriousness of his tone a contrast to his normally cheerful demeanor, though given the circumstance, that made sense. Looking up at him, she tried to hold back a hiccup, eyes still shimmering with tears she tried to hold back. “If you had gotten there sooner, all that would’ve happened is the same person who attacked him would’ve attacked you. A-And we wouldn’t have been there to help.”

“He’s right.” Pyrrha insisted, stopping Ruby from her attempt to retort against what he’d said. “If you had encountered that… villain, when we weren’t there, we don’t know what might’ve happened. Tukson... he was killed in a single strike. There was nothing we could do to save him. There was nothing you could’ve done.”

“B-But, I’m a huntress. I-I have to help.” She whimpered, face downcast as she tried to hold off further crying. 

“And you will,” a new voice interrupted, Ruby’s face paling as she noticed Professor Goodwitch on the other side of the bullhead, an unfamiliar look Ruby managed to place as sympathy on her face. “But when you’re older. When you’re trained. Miss Rose, you are a fifteen year old girl, you won’t be able to help every person you set out to. I know that today served as a crueler lesson that any of us would like, but it’s an important one, one that each of us learn one day. I’m sorry you learned it so soon.” 

“I don’t want to…” Ruby whispered, resting against Jaune as she balled up her fists. “H-He seemed… agitated when we were speaking to him earlier in the day. Like he was afraid. D-Do you think he knew something was going to happen?”

“He might have.” Glynda confirmed, her attention pulled away by her scroll briefly. “We’ll be landing shortly. Do you need me to escort you to the infirmary, Miss Rose, or are you fine going back to your dorm for the day?”

“I-I should be okay,” Ruby nodded slowly. “I-If I need to, can I talk to you later. About what happened?”

“Of course, Miss Rose. That’s one of my roles here as Deputy Headmistress.” Professor Goodwitch offered a soft, reassuring smile that looked somewhat surprising coming from her. “One that I do not fill as often as I likely should, but many Huntsmen and Huntresses are too bullheaded to think that they might need help processing trauma.”

“I didn’t realize that Beacon really had staff for that…” Ruby mumbled, offering her teacher a nervous smile. “Thank you. I-I’ll come see you when I’m- when I’m ready to talk.”

“That’s all we want from you, Miss Rose.” Professor Goodwitch noted, nodding to the young girl. “It is important that you learn to process this if you are intent on being a Huntress. I am sad to say this will not be the last time you find yourself in a situation where you cannot save someone. The important thing is to save those you can.”

“I…” Ruby looked towards the floor, trying to keep herself from speaking rudely towards her teacher. She didn’t like that mindset- she understood it, yes, but she didn’t like it. She was going to be a Huntress, and she was going to try to save _everyone_ she could. Maybe she wouldn’t always succeed, but she had to at least try. She was about to give some sort of retort, when an awkward gulp from the boy she was resting against reminded her of where they were, the bullhead beginning its descent. “Are you okay, Jaune?” She turned her gaze towards him, noticing the nauseated look on his face. 

“I-I’ll be fine. Thanks Pyrrha.” He replied, the older girl having begun to rub his back cautiously, trying to help him settle some. “How are you feeling, Ruby? Any better?” 

“A little,” she admitted, smiling up at him. “Thank you for helping me when I was… well, not okay.”

“Hey, I know you and Pyrrha would do the same for me,” Jaune insisted with a smile that was rather hampered by the nauseated expression he then took on, but it managed to elicit a giggle from Ruby. “We’re here for you, remember that.”

“I will.” Ruby said softly, turning her gaze towards Pyrrha and smiling up at her as well, the older girl’s melancholic expression softening, her cheeks taking on a pink hue again. “We’ll be there for each other, right? All three of us?”

“Yeah, of course. I like that.” Jaune agreed, his expression again battling against his tumultuous stomach. Chuckling softly as Ruby and Pyrrha gave him a somewhat concerned laugh, he shook his head. “I’ll be fine, really. We’re almost there.”

“Mister Arc is right about that, we’re pulling into the dock now.” Professor Goodwitch confirmed, the feeling of weightlessness that accompanied the descent of the bullhead leading to Jaune giving another nauseous gulp. “Mister Arc, Miss Nikos, please accompany Miss Rose back to her dorm. And don’t forget your things.” She noted, briefly nodding towards the bag of books that they had purchased. 

“Thank you Professor Goodwitch!” Ruby managed to squeak out as their teacher made her way out of the bullhead quickly, the trio following, the bag of books now dangling in Ruby’s grip. They were fairly silent on the trip back to the dorms, but they shared affectionate looks, Jaune and Pyrrha keeping close to Ruby, the taller girl having slipped her hand into Ruby’s as they led her to her room. 

“Thank you for inviting us to Vale, Pyrrha.” Ruby said softly as they arrived at her dorm, looking up to the girl and offering a wide smile. “I’m sorry that we didn’t get to go to the arcade, I-I was just…”

“Ruby, you don’t need to apologize.” Pyrrha clasped her hand on the younger girl’s shoulder, offering an affectionate squeeze. “You did what any of us would do, you’re just a lot faster than us. I enjoyed the time we did spend together, I hope that we can do it again, when you’re ready.”

"What Pyrrha said!" Jaune agreed, smiling brightly at the duo, "it's not as though Vale is going to be gone tomorrow, we have all the time in the world to check out an arcade when things are a little easier, okay? Take as long as you need. I'm always up for hanging out with two of, um, well," Ruby looked at Jaune with a bit of skepticism as he found himself stumbling over his words, now he was getting as flustered as Pyrrha was, scratching the back of his neck nervously. "Um, my best friends! Two of my best friends. My best friends, to be honest!" 

Okay, no, with how awkward he was suddenly getting Ruby couldn't help but let free a giggle, one that Pyrrha followed with one of her own soon after. Grinning brilliantly, Ruby grabbed one Jaune and Pyrrha's hands, offering them both a supportive squeeze. "You're my best friends, too. Just uh…" looking a little sheepish, she made sure no one was watching, before leaning in to whisper: "don't tell Weiss. She's totally convinced she's my bestie."

Pyrrha let out another giggle at that, though Jaune responded with a deadpanned glare. That was, absolutely, 100%, unequivocally not true, rather it was Ruby who was convinced of the idea that Weiss thought she was her bestie. "Thanks again for inviting me to Vale. I enjoyed spending my day with you!" Ruby reaffirmed, before letting go of their hands. "I'll see you both tomorrow?"

"Yeah. We can visit the farm or something, if you're feeling up for it." Jaune suggested, smiling as he and Pyrrha made their way to team JNPR's dorm, giving an awkward wave to Ruby, who was all too happy to return it. "Good night, Ruby." He said, Pyrrha agreeing as the two slipped into their team's room, Ruby managing to keep a smile on her face for a few moments longer before it sank along with her shoulders. 

* * *

Stepping into her team's dorm, Ruby let out a whimper, clutching the bag of books tightly to her chest. They'd forgotten to sort them, that at least gave an excuse to see Jaune and Pyrrha again even if she wasn't up to seeing the chickens again. "Ruby?" Uh oh. She recognized _that_ tone of voice. That was the "you proved all my worries right but I'm too concerned about you to be mad" tone her sister took whenever she got hurt, and this time she hadn't even gotten injured! "Hey, sis, are you feeling okay?"

"I… yeah, Yang. I just think I need to lie down for now." Ruby mumbled, her muted tone not likely to assuage her sister's concerns, but she couldn't force any levity into her voice any longer. She gave out a soft squeak as she felt her sister's arms wrap around her, both tight enough to prevent her escape, but gentle enough to give an almost maternal feeling. Ruby's fists balled as she tried in vain to bite back tears, her head resting against her sister's shoulder as she began to cry. "I-I was so scared!" She confessed, hiccuping as her sister began to gently rub her back in an attempt to soothe her. "I-I had just spoken t-to him, n-not an hour b-before, a-and when I s-saw him… th-there was… I c-could barely recognize him w-with what had been done."

Ruby couldn't control herself anymore, it was hard enough to speak with that sight on her mind. She gave out a loud sob, finally bringing her arms up to cling to Yang's back as her elder sister did her best to calm the weeping girl. "It's okay, Ruby. You're here now, not there. Don't think about it." She didn't recognize the tune Yang had begun to hum at first, but soon enough, she could tell it was the song as the one their mom would sing to them before departing on a mission. "It'll be okay, Ruby. I promise." Yang whispered, Ruby giving a soft whimper in agreement as her sister slowly let her out of the embrace. 

"Yang?" Ruby managed to rasp out, sniffling she began to relax a little. Looking at her sister's concerned expression, she did her best to look a little better than she had, blinking a few errant tears from her eyes. "Wh-where is Blake? I-it was here recommendation th-that led us to that bookstore… I think… I think the o-owner and h-her were friends…"

"I asked Blake and Weiss to wait in the library, if you want, I can message them to come back." Ruby gave an affirmative whimper, sitting down on Blake's bed as she looked into the bag of books. A third edition collection of the Grey Brothers' fairy tales, that was hers, _The Boy Who Fell From The Sky_ , she thought Blake might enjoy that, and it wasn't one of Blake's weird naughty books, so that was a bonus. A few issues of comics, those were Jaune's, she'd leave those in the bag, same with the signed copy of _Fairy Tales of Remnant,_ gosh, how much had Pyrrha paid for that?!

Oh! And another book, that's right. Mister Tukson had said it was one Blake was looking for, but she hadn't visited the store in a while. The cover was bare, but the spine of the leather bound book thankfully still had the name, as well as what looked to be a logo similar to the White Fang's? _The Third Crusade_? No author listed. The sound of the door opening distracted Ruby as she opened the back of the book in search of a description, the redhead looking up to find Blake and Weiss entering, a stricken look on the face of her sister's partner. 

"He's gone, then?" Ruby didn't need any help to figure out who Blake meant, giving a subdued nod, guilt twisting in her stomach. The Faunus gave a weak grasp, before rushing forward and pulling Ruby into a tight embrace. "Ruby! I'm so, so sorry! If I had known that Tukson was at risk, I would never have recommended him to Pyrrha." Blake explained, Ruby giving a weak whimper as the book in her lap fell to the floor, not even noticing the folded slip of paper slid out of it. "I just thought it would make a nice little stop on the trip Pyrrha had been trying to arrange. I never wanted to put any of you in danger!"

"I-it's okay, Blake." Ruby insisted, the Faunus relaxing and letting her out of the embrace. It was a huge surprise, honestly, Blake never seemed one for hugs, so to be given one completely caught Ruby off guard. She tried to give the older girl a reassuring smile, though that was more than she could manage, pulling off a halfhearted one at best. "Y-you weren't the one who attacked Mister Tukson, y-you had no idea."

"You're right, I didn't know he would be attacked, but when I find out the one who did it!" Ruby jumped in shock as Blake let a loud hiss escape her lips, an action mirrored by her sister as the stared at Blake in shock, the cat Faunus' pupils having shrunken to slits before she realized what happened, an ashamed blush covering her cheeks as her pupils dilated into their normal shape. "I'm sorry! I'm just so frustrated! Tukson was like an uncle to me when I was still in the Fang! He helped me hide from Adam when I escaped! He knew my father! Oh, Gods, my parents… they'll need to know what happened. I-I don't know if I can talk to them."

"Blake, it'll be okay." Ruby heard her sister's calming voice interrupt the panicked Faunus, Yang's hand grabbing onto Blake's and offering a supportive squeeze. "We're here for you, if you need help talking to your parents."

"I can't face them, Yang!" Blake insisted, Ruby able to make out guilt beneath the pain in her voice. "This is my fault, Yang. I helped Adam rise in the ranks, I provided legitimacy to his cause. A-And now Tukson is gone and I don't have a single idea who did it."

"I do, but you're not going to like it." All eyes turned to Weiss, who was holding a haphazardly folded note, with equally messy writing on it. Ruby watched in surprise as Blake attempted to reach out to snatch the paper from Weiss, only for Yang to hold her back, receiving a polite thanks from Weiss, before she cleared her throat. "'Blake, if you're reading this, you won't see me again. I've purchased a ticket to Vacuo, and if I'm lucky, I'll make it out of Vale in time to get there. If not, well, that has to do with the rest of what I wanted to tell you. Adam has made an alliance with humans! Not just Roman Torchwick, but others, too. One that seems to thrive on Fire Dust, and her two enforcers: the Thief and the Butcher. I've heard rumors that they're in Vale, and I'm worried that they might be sent to take care of me.'

"'I don't regret what I did, helping you hide from Adam. It was the least I can do for Ghira's daughter, he saved my life more than once. A girl in a red hood entered the store, claiming to be a friend of yours, along with two others. I've slipped this note into the back of _The Third Crusade_ , I only hope you get it. If I'm eliminated, you might be next, so please, keep an eye out. I don't know that I trust Adam to not seek your capture, and we both know that can't happen. Tukson.'"

"Well. That's a lot to digest." Weiss stated plainly, before her eyes narrowed in on Blake. "When were you going to tell us that you were serving under that maniac? And why is Ruby," Weiss' gaze turned towards Ruby, who had moved to pick up the fallen book, giving a startled squeak as her partner pointed at her, "holding a copy of the illegalized manifesto of the White Fang, written by Sienna Khan and Ghira Belladonna, who might I add, is your father?!"

As Blake struggled to stutter out a response, Yang stepped between her partner and Weiss, eyes narrowing. "That's enough. It's getting late, and we've had an exhausting day, especially Ruby. We aren't going to do anything productive yelling at each other now." She instructed, Weiss giving a pout as she looked to the ground, frustrated but unable to refute the blonde. "Let's all get some sleep, and we can discuss this tomorrow, got it?" Weiss gave a reluctant nod, before stomping off to the bathroom to get changed, while Yang gave Ruby a halfhearted shrug. "Sorry, sis, I just figured it was a good time to be assertive. Do you need any help getting up to your bunk?"

"It's fine, Yang, I was… feeling overwhelmed." Ruby admitted, unclasping her cloak before turning into a blur of petals as she quickly changed. "I-I'll see you tomorrow, and then we can all try to figure this out." Yang gave an enthusiastic nod and thumbs up, which Ruby couldn't help but smile at, the younger girl then slipping into her dangling bed and closing the sheets behind her. Clinging the book she still held to her chest, she let out a soft whimper as she closed her eyes and tried to sleep, her thoughts always drawing back to the phrase: _The Thief and the Butcher_.


	4. Talking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been a day, well, a night, really, and Ruby begins the process of coming to terms with what she saw, with the help of someone who has been in a similar situation in the past, and a boost of confidence from a friend across the hall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe I've done it again, but here's another chapter! I wanted to try some interactions with just Blake and Ruby, and then Ren and Ruby. Please let me know if you have any criticisms or feedback at all, it's a big help!

Ruby's eyes shot open, breathing erratically as she muffled a started scream into her pillow. There was- she was surrounded by… no! No. She was dreaming. It wasn't real. She was back in her dorm, she was safe. She wasn’t back at the store, looking at that nightmare again. The teen let out a soft whimper, hands relaxing from a grip she didn’t even realize she’d had on the covers of her bed, her blankets crumpled against the edge of her bed by a night of turbulent sleep. 

_Drip._

Silver eyes widened as Ruby’s breath caught in her mouth, hands trembling as she looked around. It wasn’t real. She was just imagining it. Careful to be as quiet as she could, Ruby sat up, legs dangling off the side of her awkwardly hanging bed as she looked around the room. The first rays of sunlight were just now lightening up the room, so it had to be sometime between 5 and 6 in the morning. Blake was facing the wall, curled up in her bed, an errant thought wondering if that was how cats also slept, before Ruby pushed it away. That was rude, she wasn’t a cat, she was a Faunus and they weren’t animals. Yang was haphazardly asleep in the bunk above her partner, arm and leg hanging off the edge as she snored softly. Good old Yang, Ruby smiled a slightly, her sister could never get past the fact that she was such a messy sleeper.

_Drip._

No! No no no. It was just in her head. Ruby breathed in sharply, eyes darting to the bathroom door, another drip ringing out from the attached room. It… it was the sink! That had to be it. Just not turned off all the way. Ruby tried to force a reassuring smile, just for herself, but could quite manage. Slipping off her bed, she did her best to land quietly, awkwardly flailing for a moment before she managed to land her second foot. Getting up early was always a hassle, but she _needed_ to turn off that sink, she needed the dripping to stop. 

Ruby tried her best to be quiet as she made her way to the bathroom, thankful for Weiss’ meticulous nature when it came to cleaning the room, not needing to avoid a mess of objects strewn about. Pushing the partially closed door open, Ruby rushed over to the sink, quickly tightening the nob shut as much as she could, before letting out a sigh of relief. That had to be it, that was all that it was. 

_Drip._

“No…” Ruby whimpered, looking up slowly, eyes widening as she looked into the mirror, the hollow eyes of what remained of the bookstore owner’s face looking back at her, blood dripping from the open wound she had found him with. “No! No no no!” She repeated, stumbling backwards and slamming against the wall, trembling as tears began to fall down her face as she gasped for air. It wasn’t real, it wasn’t real!

“Ruby!” She couldn’t tell who was speaking, but she felt arms wrap around her as one of her teammates brought her to their shoulder as she began to sob. Shutting her eyes tightly as she tried to fight off the tears, Ruby clung to the girl. “Shhhh, shhhh, it’s okay, Ruby.” Blake! It was Blake. “Cry as much as you need to, you don’t have to hold back.” The Faunus said gently, patting her back gently. “It’ll be okay.”

“B-Blake…” Ruby shook her head, eyes still shut while she hiccuped, sniffling as she failed to hold back the tears. “Wh-why can’t I get it out of my head. I-I just want it out of my head.”

“It’s not that easy, Ruby.” Blake shook her head solemnly, hugging the younger girl a little tighter, before pulling back to give her a reassuring smile. “It’s going to take time, but I believe in you, Ruby. If I could get past it, then I know you can.” 

“Blake?” Ruby’s eyes widened as she looked at the Faunus, realization dawning on her. “Y-You, you’ve…”

“It was last year,” the brunette confided, sliding to sit beside the younger girl, “it was supposed to be a run of the mill hit on a SDC warehouse, we were going to… liberate some Dust. Adam was leading us.” Noticing the way the Faunus shrunk slightly at the name, Ruby frowned, recalling the name being mentioned the night before, on the note that… that Tukson had left for Blake. “I managed to subdue a few of the guards, but… one snuck up on me, I… I’ll never forget the smell.”

“Th-the smell?” Ruby asked, looking confused as the Faunus gave a pained chuckle. 

“Roses.” At Ruby’s wide-eyed stare, Blake gave a halfhearted smile. “It was Adam’s semblance. He stores up the power of blows he deflects in his sword, and when he releases it, the world darkens, and everything smells of roses.” The older teen put a supportive pat on her leader’s leg, smiling. “When I first saw your semblance, I was… scared. You remind me of him, in a few ways. You’re a natural leader, Ruby, just like he was. Your hair, too, is similar in color. The roses… when I first saw it, I was so scared, but after I got to know you…”

“You’re nothing like he was.” The Faunus reassured, smiling a little wider. “He was angry, spiteful. He hated people, the world, humans… You’re the opposite. You believe the best in people, even me! After you found out I used to be in the White Fang, you didn’t hate me, you didn’t think I was a criminal.” Looking down towards the ground, she sighed, deciding that was long enough derailing what she was talking about. “I… after the smell, I felt the dampness of blood. At first I thought I’d been hurt, but it was the man who had snuck up on me, he looked so surprised. He reached out for me, I don’t know if it was shock, or maybe he was just trying to attack me even as he died, but I remember the feel of his bloodied hand as it smeared across my cheek.”

“I was paralyzed when it happened, I couldn’t even scream. I just looked at his broken body, at the pool of blood that formed underneath him.” Blake said quietly, hand clenched tightly as she thought back to that night, and to the days that followed. “I kept trying to clean the blood off my face, long after it was gone. Every time I looked at the mirror, I felt like I was covered in it.”

A sigh escaped Blake’s lips, and she offered Ruby another reassuring smile. “My friend, Ilia, helped me a lot with getting past that. I was too ashamed to go to Adam, but she was always concerned with my wellbeing. Not like Adam, he… he was fascinating, but to him, it was never about me, unless it was to make me more loyal to him.” Shaking her head, the Faunus opened her clenched hand, holding it up towards the light above the sink. “But I managed to get past it, with my friend’s help. And I’m sure you can, too, Ruby. It’s okay to be scared, it’s okay to cry, but please, don’t be afraid of asking for help. You have a lot of people who’d be willing to help.”

Ruby felt her lip trembling a little as she looked at Blake, the brunette giving her most supportive smile, and quickly brought her arms around the older girl in a tight hug, sniffling a little. “Thank you, Blake.” Her voice was barely above a whisper, but she knew the Faunus could hear her. “You didn’t have to let me know about what happened, so… thank you.” 

“Ruby, I…” Blake’s eyes darted towards the floor, the expression of guilt on her face breaking Ruby’s heart a little. It was a different feeling than when it ached at the poor experiences Pyrrha had mentioned, but she knew she felt pain for her friend. “If I had just not suggested Tukson to Pyrrha, this never would have happened. You would never have had to experience that.”

“Nope.” Ruby stated plainly, her confidence rising a little as she looked at her sister’s partner, the shock on Blake’s face unmistakable. “Blake… I’m a Huntress, or, at least, I’m going to be. That means I’m going to see bad things sometimes. M-Maybe it wouldn’t have been so soon, but, this is the life I asked for. Even if it wasn’t Tukson, someday, p-probably sooner than I’d like, I’d have to confront this.” 

“Ruby… I still shouldn’t have-”

“Nope!” The younger girl interrupted, a defiant look on her face, though it quickly sank into sorrow. “You didn’t know. I told you yesterday, you didn’t know. He- he was your friend, of course you’d recommend we go there. I-I’m just sorry I wasn’t there to protect him.” 

“Ruby…” Blake’s shoulders sank, the Faunus taking a deep breath before she looked back at her leader. “If I’m not to blame for exposing you to that, then you aren’t to blame for not being there to save him. There was no way for you to protect him when you didn’t know he needed it.”

“B-But I noticed something was wrong!” Ruby confessed, choking back a sob as the memory started rushing back. “He was nervous! A-And acting suspicious. I-I should’ve had us stay a little longer, th-that could’ve been all he needed!”

“That’s not fair, not to you, or Jaune and Pyrrha.” Blake placed a supportive hand on Ruby’s shoulder, wanting to comfort the girl as best she could. “You were on… an outing.” She chose the wording carefully, not wanting to imply more than might’ve been there, “you were focused on them, not on someone you barely even met. That’s nothing to be ashamed of, especially not now.” Ruby tried to retort, but Blake cut her off. “If it’s not my fault, it’s not your fault, Ruby. Got it?” 

Ruby frowned, but nodded. It felt a bit like talking to Yang, whenever her older sister was insistent that she needed to stop doubting herself so much. “I… If you’re sure.” The younger girl said softly, frowning as she stood up. “I-I’ll try not to blame myself, but you can’t blame yourself either. I-It’s a deal?” She asked, reaching out a hand to Blake. 

“It’s a deal.” The Faunus agreed, offering Ruby a solemn smile as she accepted the hand. “Now let’s get out of the bathroom, before your sister wakes up. I don’t think either of us can handle the amount of teasing she’d unleash from that.”

Ruby gave a soft chuckle, smiling up at the older girl. “Yeah, she’s absolutely ruthless, just don’t tell her I told you that.” 

* * *

Grateful that Weiss and Yang were still asleep when their talk finished, Ruby excused herself from Blake, letting the older girl take the first shower, slipping out of the dorm and making her way to the floor’s kitchen. Looking at the sink as she approached the refrigerator, Ruby felt a knot of apprehension as she thought back to earlier. No. She wasn’t going to go back to that again. She took a deep breath, she got the quart of milk with her name erratically scribbled on it out, pouring herself a glass. 

“Oh, good morning, Ruby.” She let out a surprised squeak, turning around to find Lie Ren, looking at her with a mix of curiosity and concern. “I’m surprised to see you out here this early. It’s an hour earlier than usual.”

Oh, good. He wasn’t going to bring it up. Ruby had no doubt that Jaune and Pyrrha had to tell their teammates what happened, she certainly didn’t blame them, but she was admittedly really frightened that it would get brought up again and again. She was glad that Ren wasn’t going to make her talk about it if she wasn’t up to it. “Good morning, Ren!” She chirped cheerfully, offering a gentle wave. “Yeah… I woke up a bit early today, same with Blake! Figured I could get something to drink while she’s getting ready for the day, since my Semblance makes getting ready really easy.”

“Yes, I imagine it does.” The older boy said with a soft chuckle, stepping to her side as he started to get out supplies to make pancakes for the day. “Do you want anything? I don’t mind making extra.”

“Um, uh, not today, thanks!” Ruby shook her head, offering an awkward smile as she waved her hands in front of her. “Your pancakes are yummy, but I’m not feeling too hungry right now.” 

“Ah, that’s fine.” He said with a polite nod, being sure to offer her a kind smile before turning his attention back to the task he had set out on. “Maybe another time, then? I’m sure we’d love to have your team share breakfast with us again.”

“Um, yeah. I’ll let them know!” Ruby agreed, before clapping her lips shut and looking around nervously. This was awkward. She knew he wasn’t going to bring up what happened, and she didn’t really want to either, but it was hard to talk to Ren sometimes, he was nice, but unquestionably distant compared to his teammates. Even Blake was starting to be a bit more open than he was.

“Please do. We are always happy to spend time with you and your team.” Ren noted, his focus still on his task as he spoke, though he made an effort to at least give her some attention, offering a kind smile before turning away again. “I know that Jaune and Pyrrha both value you a lot, more than they probably realize.” Huh? What did that mean? They were her best friends, of course they valued her, just like she valued them! “It isn’t my place to ask, but I still feel the need to. Please don’t shy away from them, even if you’re feeling guilty. They enjoy spending time with you.”

Ruby paused, her hand clenching tightly for a moment as she looked for the ground. She knew he was trying to avoid talking about _why_ she might be hesitant to speak with Jaune or Pyrrha, and she hated that he was right. She was scared, she knew that she shouldn’t be, but she was. “Tragedy is something that unites many of us,” Ren added, her silence giving a chance for him to continue. “I’m sure that if you need them, they’ll be there, so please don’t be afraid to ask.”

“I…” Ruby blinked her eyes shut, not even sure when they’d gotten so watery. He was right, and she didn’t want to keep away from them. She couldn’t exactly explain it, but the thought of pushing Pyrrha and Jaune away, especially now, caused her stomach to knot. “I won’t. I-I won’t push them away. I promise.” 

“That’s all I ask.” Ren gave her a gentle nod, the genuine smile he gave making Ruby duck her head a little. It was rare to see him express a lot of emotion, it felt almost sacrilegious to see such a warm, proper smile. “You should head back to your room before everyone else is up. If you’d like, I can tell Jaune and Pyrrha that you said hello.” 

“Please do,” Ruby nodded meekly, smiling back at the normally reserved teen, who looked surprisingly happy with her response. “Let Nora know I said good morning, too. And… thank you.” 

* * *

Ruby let out a loud sigh as she stepped back into team RWBY’s dorm, shutting the door before leaning back against it. She hadn’t expected to run into Ren, or have him point out to her something she hadn’t even realized. “You weren’t in your bed.” Uh oh. That wasn’t good, Yang was up now, and that was the tone of an older sister who was about to reach the highest levels of a bullhead parent. 

“I, um, I wanted to get a drink.” Ruby squeaked out, looking anywhere but her sister’s serious stare, Yang hopping off her bed and landing with a notable thunk, her steps loud as she made her way over to the younger girl. “It’s fine, Yang. I’m fine.” 

“You shouldn’t have gone out without me, you know I would’ve come with.” Yang insisted, Ruby finally relenting, taking a look up at her sister, who was struggling to keep her frustration in check, the emotion battling up the inevitable guilt that Yang always seemed to feel when she was acting this way, for almost as long as Ruby could remember. “You- You know that I’m just worried about you, right, sis? You went through something… something really bad yesterday, and I just want to make sure you’re okay.”

“I-I’m fine, Yang. Really,” Ruby insisted, frowning as Yang brought her into a tight embrace. She knew that her sister’s heart was in the right place, and she would always love her for the care she gave, but she really, _really_ , didn’t like how much it felt like Yang was pitying her. She knew she wasn’t, not really, she just cared a lot about the little sister she’d raised for much of their lives, but Ruby didn’t want to be treated like she was glass. “I just wanted some milk. I got to talk to Ren a bit, too, it was nice.”

Yang looked ready to continue pestering, but the clearing throat of an impatient Weiss Schnee forced her to stop, the sisters turning their attention towards the frustrated looking Atlesian. Never before had Ruby felt so grateful for her partner’s rather haughty temperament than she was now, offering a relieved smile. Weiss, of course, responded with a withering glance, but Ruby knew she wasn’t mad at her. “As much as I understand your affection towards your sister, Yang, I think we have more pressing things to talk about.”

“Right.” Blake agreed, Ruby noticing the Faunus had made her way back to her bed below Yang’s, looking up from one of her weird books. “I guess I should let you all ask questions, if you want to, since I know you probably have a lot of them.”

“Yes, well, I certainly do.” Weiss agreed bluntly, looking at the Faunus with a rather serious glare, though it lessened slightly as she let out a sigh. “I guess the first question I have is whether you were ever going to tell us that your father _founded_ the White Fang, but I guess I did kind of… stifle out your attempts at explaining a few weeks ago.”

“Yeah,” Blake acknowledged quietly, her bow flattening on her head as she looked to the ground. “I don’t… I don’t really know if I was going to tell you. I might’ve that night, when I was trying to apologize, but…” Ruby frowned a little as she saw her sister’s partner cling tightly to her bedsheet, “I-I haven’t seen my parents in years. And now? Now I just feel shame for not listening to them when dad stepped down as High Leader.”

Yang separated herself from Ruby, stepping slowly over to her partner before sitting beside her, putting a hand over one clenching the sheets, offering a nervous smile. “It’s okay, Blake.” Yang reassured the Faunus, smiling gently, though Blake refused to meet her gaze. 

“I-I ran away!” Blake exclaimed, a few errant tears falling from her cheeks. “I ran away from home because A- because I was convinced that it was the right thing to do! And I was wrong! What we were doing wasn’t the right thing at all! It was working but at what cost? Just everything that my father had worked for his entire life!”

Yang brought Blake into a hug, trying to comfort her partner as best she could, while Ruby took a seat beside Weiss, looking rather concerned at how uncomfortable this was making Blake. “Blake, if you aren’t ready to talk about it, you shouldn’t have to…” The redheaded girl said softly, looking up at the Faunus and offering a reassuring smile.

“No, I need to.” Blake disagreed, wiping her eyes and offering Yang a grateful smile, resulting in a blush that Ruby didn’t miss. She was totally right, even if her sister hadn’t said anything, but that wasn’t important right now. “I don’t know that I was going to say who my parents were, not because I’m ashamed of them, but because they should be ashamed of me. Maybe eventually, but now everything is so complicated.”

“Hey, it’s okay.” Ruby’s voice was a little more confident, now, smiling at Blake. “You don’t need to feel bad about not telling us,” she insisted, sitting up a little straighter. “Um, i-if I can ask a question, are you going to tell them about Adam?” The room fell silent as all eyes turned towards Ruby, the younger girl squawking nervously and ducking her head. “I-I don’t want to pry, I just remember he was in the note, and… and we talked about him this morning. I think it’s important, but if you don’t want to talk about him that’s fine!”

“No, you’re right, I should probably talk about him.” Blake accepted, her expression laden with guilt as she looked over at Weiss, and then at Yang. “Adam was… When I first met him, he was _enthralling_ . I should have been scared, but I wasn’t. He was angry, even back then, but I thought it was because of his grief at the treatment of Faunus. I didn’t meet him again for another year, but he had always been on my mind. I had seen beneath his mask, something I’m not sure _anyone_ else had done, and he didn’t hate me for it, he had offered to walk me home, he was careful, concerned.”

“I should’ve seen that it was just a facade, that he wasn’t the benign man he played at being.” Blake clenched her hands tightly once more, Yang quick to close hers over the one she held. “I didn’t see him again for a year, until after I’d had my fight with my parents and run away from home. He was the leader of the cell I was assigned to, and favored by High Leader Khan, to get to work with him would be an honor to any who joined, but he… he _requested_ my presence, when he learned I had run from home.”

“I didn’t realize at the time, but I was a symbol for him, a way of showing that even though my parents weren’t supporting the White Fang any longer, I was. It gave him a legitimacy he craved.” There was a bitterness in Blake’s voice that Ruby found unexpected, but she didn’t exactly blame her, knowing what little she did. “He… focused on me, a lot. Always checking in on me, making sure that I was comfortable. I guess it wasn’t surprising that I started to… to view him the way I had.”

“The way you had?” Yang sounded horrified, looking up at her partner. 

“He made sure that I had to rely on him, most of the other brothers and sisters of the White Fang wouldn’t associate with me because of my parent’s decision to disavow their more radical actions.” Blake continued, averting her gaze from the Yang, eyes shut in shame. “Ilia was the only other member my age who I got to spend much time with, and I could tell she had to work hard to have the chance, and… Tukson was a familiar face, one who didn’t so easily look down on me for my parent’s choice.” 

“Adam was most of my world, but, he changed- or maybe I simply noticed more of what he didn’t want me to.” Blake lamented, frowning deeply. “He claimed they were accidents at first, a little too much power to his strike, then it was self defense. I started to think he was right.” Raising her free hand, Blake allowed it to hover over her head, where a mask would belong, “I started to fall lock and step behind him, even the more horrified I privately was, because he was _Adam_ , he would never lead me astray.”

“But he did. And so I left him.” Blake stated plainly, resting her hand back down at her side. “We were… raiding a SDC train. It hadn’t been the first time we’d done something like that, but this was the first time that it was just the two of us. We were supposed to just be stealing the Dust, but… he had charges. He wanted to blow the train, despite the innocent crew. He _relished_ the thought of them dying- humans and collaborators, he would say.”

“I separated the cars, and fled towards Vale. I went to Tukson, he’d retired from actively working with the White Fang after an injury to his leg, but he was still a member. He let me hide out in his bookstore, helped me get back on my feet. I… I decided to become a Huntress, to try and do some good in the world, to right the wrongs I had made. I… I think that’s all I can say right now, I’m sorry.”

“Well, I can at least clear a few other things up.” Weiss offered, sounding a lot less hostile than she had started after hearing Blake’s explanation. “Adam Taurus is one of the most notorious members of the White Fang, he’s even on the Atlas Military’s top wanted list, as well as Sienna Khan, of course. He’s well known for his brutal slaying of several lower ranked Specialists three years ago, but he hasn’t been seen operating in Atlas in a long time.”

“We were in Mistral, for a while, after working in Atlas. Sienna was worried that he’d drawn too much attention, so she had us extracted to work under her for a time. We continued to target SDC facilities and liberated Faunus prison camps, but she was careful to make sure he didn’t draw too much ire again.” Blake explained, before nodding at Weiss. “And then… About six months before I left him, we were sent to Vale. Adam was assigned as head of the Valean cell, he was so proud. He’s still here, I’m sure, somewhere in the Kingdom. I just hope we never encounter him. He’s… too strong for us. For any of us.”

Ruby frowned, but nodded. “You… said he looked a little like me?” Weiss shifted away from her at mention of that, and Yang looked a bit surprised, turning her gaze towards Ruby. “His hair, right? It’s the same color.” Blake nodded slowly, and Ruby gave a grateful smile. “I just want to make sure, so that we can keep our eyes out and know if we see him.” Blake looked a bit relieved, though Ruby could tell that Weiss and Yang were still a bit concerned. At the silence that followed, Ruby coughed a little nervously. “So, um, does anyone else have a question right now?”

“Maybe we can stop here, for now?” Blake asked, the Faunus’s voice desperate, a heavy air of melancholy behind her normally distant tone. “I-I know that you’ll probably still have more questions, but… this is difficult to talk about, and I need time to think.”

“That’s fine, Blake.” Ruby agreed, before Yang or Weiss could chime in. She knew her sister and partner meant well, but she wasn’t sure if they would want to know more right away, and Blake clearly needed a little time. “We could probably all use some time to process this stuff. I’m going to get myself ready for the day, and… and then see if Pyrrha and Jaune are free. We should probably talk, too. Thank you for being willing to talk to us, Blake.”

The Faunus nodded, offering a grateful smile towards her team leader, before standing up and grabbing a couple of her books. “I’m going to go to the library for a bit. I’ll see you later.”

Weiss followed with a huff, grabbing her school notebooks. “I might as well pass the time doing something useful, I’ll be studying for when the semester begins.”

Yang was the last to go, giving her sister a solemn sigh before smiling at her. “I guess this means I should go, too. I’ll find something to do, Blake looks like she really needs her space. And I guess you do, too. I’ll see you later, Rubes.” 

“You, too, Yang. I’m sorry if I’ve been, well, distant…” Ruby said, startling her sister with a sudden hug as she made her way to the door. Yang smiled, returning it. “I love you, Yang. You’re the best big sister I could ever ask for.”

“Thanks, sis.” Yang replied, ruffling Ruby’s hair lightly before stepping out of the room. Ruby gave a sigh of relief, before sitting down on Blake’s bed. That was a bit more serious than she’d hoped, but it wasn’t a surprise. She stayed still for a few minutes, before a sudden defeated look crossed her face.

“Shucks! I forgot to ask everyone if they wanted to have breakfast with team JNPR tomorrow!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh I hope that it was fine having Blake open up a bit earlier than in canon! She's been put in a bad spot and kind of had to, but I'm still worried it might not've fit well.


	5. Worth a thousand words

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby works up the courage to talk to her bestest besties. Weiss tries to be a better partner. Yang opens up a little.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a few days! Sorry about that, Father's day is the worst. Feeling back in the zone though so hopefully I can keep up a nice pace. 
> 
> Not the most confident with this one but I already went back and deleted like a thousand words once working on it and my trustie beta ensured me this was good. 
> 
> Hopefully everyone will enjoy! Please comment if you want, I'd appreciate criticism, feedback, suggestions or even just a happy message! Thanks everyone!

Ruby remained in her team’s dorm for what felt like an eternity, looking down at her mother’s silver rose brooch - her brooch, technically, she supposed. It never felt right to call it her own, it was one of the few things that remained of her mother, now, but she couldn’t deny that she used it as her own now. Brushing her thumbs against the silver emblem, she let out a soft sigh. That was enough hiding for the day, she wanted to try talking to Pyrrha and Jaune, even if it was a bit scary. 

Standing up, Ruby placed the trinket back on her belt, smiling down at it as she tidied her appearance a bit. Satisfied, she stepped out of her room, looking down the hallway cautiously before stepping across to knock at team JNPR’s door. Huh, that was strange, no answer. She was used to Jaune at least hanging around the dorms on Saturday, and more often than not Pyrrha was with him, making him study. 

Frowning, she pulled out her scroll, hesitating a moment before she accessed the group chat with “Vomit Boy” and “Cereal Girl,” a hint of a smile forming as she looked at the names, though it faded fast. She liked the nicknames, even if at a first glance someone might assume them insulting, she knew that Pyrrha and Jaune saw them as endearing, at least coming from her, just like she found being called “Crater Face” was actually kind of nice when it was either of them saying it. 

Typing a quick message asking where to find them, Ruby found a nice, isolated corner to linger while she awaited a response. It was hard enough working up the courage to see them, she didn’t want to chance an encounter with Cardin or one of his goons. Even after they’d starting leaving them alone, all because of Jaune’s willingness to risk his own life to protect that stupid bully, Ruby never trusted team CRDL to act properly. Their actions could have gotten Jaune seriously hurt and it made her so frustrated that they hadn’t been expelled completely, just placed on a suspension for the rest of the first semester. That, of course, meant they’d be back in regular classes again come Monday, which was definitely not something Ruby was looking forward to.

The light chime of her scroll called her attention away from her annoyance about Cardin and his goons, the teen looking at it to see where she’d need to go. As it turned out, Jaune and Pyrrha were on the roof, earlier than Ruby had expected, especially given classes hadn’t quite started up yet. Making her way to the roof, the young huntress found herself hesitating as she reached out for the door. She was being silly, she knew that, just negative thoughts telling her that they wouldn’t want to see her. Taking a deep breath, she held it for a moment, before exhaling, then opened the door. 

The loud sound of Jaune’s grunting was the first thing to greet her, followed not long after by the teen himself, managing to land partially on his feet this time. Across from him, Pyrrha readied her stance again, preparing to continue before emerald eyes met with silver, and the champion relaxed, her normally soft smile instead wide and full of relief. “Ruby!” The shorter girl could barely manage a squeak before toned arms wrapped around her in a tight embrace, Pyrrha only relaxing the hug when she became red cheeked with embarrassment. “I, um, that is, we’re glad to see you.” 

“H-Hi there, Pyrrha,” Ruby chirped, returning the embrace briefly, the older girl’s face a burning scarlet as she turned to Jaune and managed a cheerful smile. “Hey, Jaune. You’re training today? I thought Saturday was more of a relaxation day than a workout day.”

"Ah, well, I was just, um, passing the time." Even Ruby could tell that was a really bad attempt at an excuse, but she didn't blame him. She knew that after what happened, Jaune probably blamed himself, he was prone to that kind of destructive thinking in her experience hearing him vent. With a deep breath, Ruby stepped forward, reaching her hand forward and taking his into it. "Ruby…"

"It's okay." The younger teen stated, offering a supportive squeeze. "I know that… that things got all messed up yesterday, b-but I don't blame either of you for what happened. B-Blake said that I can't blame myself, either, a-and the same goes to the two of you." Ruby’s grip on Jaune’s hand tightened slightly as she drew in an apprehensive breath, looking up at the blue-eyed teen, doing her best not to avert eye contact. 

“Blake,” Jaune’s eyes widened in realization, before his face sunk slightly. “They knew each other, right?”

“Yeah.” Ruby confirmed, her voice quiet as she tried to think of the right thing to do. She didn’t want to have her friends involved in something that Blake had made very evident was dangerous, but at the same time, she couldn’t deny that they had all gotten involved whether they wanted to or not, the moment they entered that book store. “C-Can we sit? I need to talk to you two about something.” She finally relented, eyes pleading as she looked into cerulean and emerald. 

“Ruby, of course we can talk.” Pyrrha reassured, having approached Ruby and Jaune, offering the younger girl a warm smile. “Is this… about yesterday?” 

“Kind of,” Ruby couldn’t keep eye contact, a mix of nerves and guilt over ruining their trip causing her stomach to twist into knots. Leading them away from the edge of the roof, the trio sat down against the wall, Jaune and Pyrrha quickly placed themselves on either side of her to offer support. Pulling her legs forward to rest her knees against her chest, Ruby took another nervous gulp of air. “Th-the book that Mister Tukson slipped in with our things, it… it had a note, tucked in the back.”

“A note?” Pyrrha asked, before the implications dawned on her. “You mean, he knew he was being targeted?” Ruby shut her eyes, gripping her legs against herself a little tighter, before an arm wrapped around her, offering a supportive embrace. “I know you said you noticed that he was acting strange, Ruby, but it’s not your fault. None of us acted on his suspicious behavior.”

“Do you want to tell us about the note?” Jaune asked, placing his hand on Ruby’s shoulder and giving a reassuring pat. “You don’t have to if you’re not comfortable with it. If you want to just stay here and spend time with us, that’s okay with me.”

“Thank you.” Ruby mumbled, before shaking her head. “I-I should still tell you, though, at least a couple things. He, Mister Tukson, he was scared because he was defecting from the White Fang.” Jaune and Pyrrha sat up a little more at this, Ruby supposed because they recognized the gravity of the situation. “They started working with humans, like Torchwick, a-and he was afraid a pair of… enforcers, I think he said, called “the Thief and the Butcher” were after him.” 

Concern marred the older duo’s faces as they tried to support Ruby as she explained, each scooting a little closer so she could rely on them more. “Whatever you decide to do, Ruby, we’re with you.” Jaune reassured, offering a halfhearted smile. “All of us, Team JNPR are happy to help, no matter what.” 

Ruby gave an affirmative whimper, leaning against his shoulder. “There’s… a lot more to the note, b-but some of it was personal, for Blake. I-I’m not sure if I should say, so I’m going to wait. I hope that’s okay.”

“Of course it is. We don’t need to know the precise details, Ruby.” Pyrrha placed her free hand on Ruby’s, giving a smile of her own. “Jaune’s right. We’re with you, whatever choice you make.”

“Thank you, both of you.” Ruby’s voice was barely above a whisper, a small smile on her lips. Even if she was scared, Pyrrha and Jaune would be there for her. She was so grateful to have them as friends. Was that the right term? They felt like best friends, but it was a little different. Ruby didn’t really understand, and it didn’t matter, not then. She just wanted to enjoy their presence. “Do you… do you think we can just stay here for a bit? The three of us?”

“Of course.” Jaune and Pyrrha agreed at once, chuckling a little at having said the same thing. Hearing the soft song of their laughter, Ruby’s smile grew a little more as she shut her eyes. 

* * *

The click of a scroll’s photo function was what drew Ruby back into the waking world, the past few hours spent in a blissful, dreamless (at least as far as she recalled) sleep. “Huh?” The inquiry slipped her lips as her eyes blinked open slowly, everything a bit blurry for several seconds. As her eyes adjusted to the midday sun, Ruby found herself looking up at her older sister, a playful grin across her face. “Yang?”

“Hey there, sis.” Her older sister greeted, a suspiciously cheerful grin on her face. “How was your nap?” Nap? Blinking again, Ruby took in her surroundings. Pyrrha was leaning against her, sleeping softly, arm still wrapped around her in an embrace, while Ruby was still resting against Jaune, who had in turn leaned against her, too.

The startled squeak Ruby let out in response to her sister’s question saw Pyrrha and Jaune shooting up awake, the trio’s cheeks taking on a brilliant scarlet hue. Ruby didn’t blame the other two for being embarrassed, falling asleep on the roof only to be caught by Yang? That was a terrifying thought. For some reason she wasn’t sure if that was the only cause of embarrassment, but she dismissed the errant thought. “Hey, Yang… find something to do?”

“Yeah, I went and had a nice spar with Nora, we still haven’t figured out which of us is stronger, but I’m pretty sure it’s me.” Yang grinned, her eyes slowly passing over the three of them, her playful expression lightening slightly. “Noticed I hadn’t been able to find you, and Ren was kind enough to let me know that Jaune and Pyrrha were training up here. Well, I guess they were  _ supposed _ to be training, but this was definitely cute. I can’t wait to send it to dad.” 

“What are you talking about, Yang?!” Ruby felt her cheeks warming further, Jaune and Pyrrha still too flustered to properly respond to her sister’s teasing. “We were just trying to relax a bit, it’s been really stressful.” 

“Aww, I know, Ruby. You didn’t do anything wrong.” Yang insisted, giving an unquestionably genuine smile as she squatted down to fluff her sister’s hair a bit, something that wasn’t quite as endearing as when Jaune did it. Still affectionate, she was sure, but there was something her sister lacked. “I’ll leave you three alone for now, but you should be sure to get lunch soon, it’s past 1pm now.”

“Ah, we’ll be sure to do that, Yang. Thanks.” Ruby squeaked out, head ducking a little as her sister left, before looking to Jaune and Pyrrha. “I’m sorry about her, she’s… she likes to tease, and make assumptions. I’m really glad that we got to spend some time relaxing.”

“It’s okay, Ruby.” Pyrrha reassured, offering a warm smile as she hugged the girl a little tighter, still not having let go. “It was just a bit of a shock to wake up to. Did she say something about a picture?”

“Ah, yeah, she uh. Might’ve taken a picture.” Ruby nodded meekly, a bit worried at how quickly her girlfriend, wait, that wasn’t quite right, she was just a friend who happened to be a girl! Either way, she looked a bit worried and that didn’t sit well with Ruby. “Is something wrong, Pyrrha?”

“Yang isn’t going to share that picture around a lot, is she?” It was Jaune who answered for the older girl, who looked to be in the middle of a small panic attack, Ruby not sure what she could do but put her hand on Pyrrha’s leg to offer a supportive pat. “Pyrrha has to be… careful about pictures, Ruby. If something were to get back to the media in Mistral…” Oh, oh no. Ruby felt herself paling now, too. 

“I-I’m sure that Yang is just going to send it to my dad. She’s smart, she wouldn’t want to risk something like that, especially over something she did just to tease me. If you’d like, we can still catch up to her, or I can message her.”

“Please don’t go.”

Pyrrha’s normally sweet voice was pained, and hearing it that way filled Ruby with anguish. The younger girl shifted her position, leaning against Pyrrha and hugging her arm as Jaune stood up and messaged Yang with his scroll. “Hey, it’ll be okay.” Ruby insisted softly, smiling up at Pyrrha. “Jaune’s going to make sure that Yang is careful. Do… do you want to talk about it?”

Pyrrha nodded softly, trying to smile back at Ruby, but the younger girl could tell that she was still struggling not to panic. “You recall that… fan I mentioned, yesterday? Who my stepmother had to convince to leave me alone?” Ruby nodded gently, not liking where this was going. “I… I managed to find someone, back when I attended Sanctum. We were close, despite my status. He… When he found the two of us together, he reacted badly.”

“Pyrrha?” Ruby felt a lump in her throat, a little nauseous at what her friend had already revealed. “What happened?” 

“He… followed her home.” Ruby felt the air around her tense, the familiar sound of Pyrrha’s semblance activating. “Hurt her. My agent insisted that we do nothing, that I was the one at fault, for being with her.” The younger girl reached up a hand, brushing away a few tears that had begun to fall down the taller teen’s cheek. “I-If that image made its way back to Mistral, to some of my more… dedicated fans… I couldn’t stand if something happened to you.” 

“It won’t.” Ruby insisted, smiling up at Pyrrha. “I have you, and Jaune, and my team and yours. We’ll stick together.” The eerie sound of Polarity died down, and Ruby felt an overwhelming relief that her friend had at least calmed a little. A small gasp escaped her lips as Pyrrha cupped her cheek in a hand, the older girl finally smiling once more as she looked at Ruby. “Pyrrha?” She managed to squeak out, her cheeks starting to warm up in embarrassment. 

“Oh!” Pyrrha’s face flushed and she let go, something that left Ruby with a hint of disappointment, though the younger girl quickly shook that out of her head. “I’m sorry, Ruby, I was getting… carried away again.” Again? What did she mean by that? Ruby was about to ask when Jaune returned to them, smiling down as he looked at the pair. 

“You two look cozy.” Jaune noted, a warmth in his voice that felt relieving to hear for Ruby, who smiled back up at him. “I hate to suggest that we go, but Yang wasn’t wrong about it being a good idea to get some lunch.” The reluctant pout and whine Ruby let out gave the boy pause, before he stepped forward and ruffled her hair. “Hey, now, we can still spend time together after we get something to eat.”

“He’s not wrong, Ruby.” Pyrrha teased, starting to shift to stand, the smaller girl reluctantly following, still clinging to her arm. “We can grab some food and eat somewhere outside of the cafeteria, if you’d like?” The shorter redhead nodding slightly, a pout still playfully across her face, though she was clearly a little happier. Even if she didn’t want to stop cuddling, she could handle it if it meant she got to still spend time with her best friends.

* * *

The rest of the day went by quicker than Ruby wanted, but she spent a lot of it with Jaune and Pyrrha, and the lingering fears from earlier had faded some. She was aware that it wasn’t as though she’d solved anything, but the brief respite from the memories of Tukson’s murder was something she was grateful for. She hovered in front of her dorm room, pausing for a moment before opening the door, a little glad Yang wasn’t there to tease her more. It didn’t look as though Blake was here, either. Maybe her sister was trying to get the Faunus to open up more.

“Oh, you’re back early, Ruby.” Woah! Weiss was talking with her and she wasn’t fussing, what was the occasion? No, that wasn’t quite fair, Weiss had gotten a lot better than she had, it was just still a little unfamiliar when she wasn’t at least a little bit haughty. Instead, the white-haired teen had a rather neutral expression, though there was a hint of concern in her icy eyes. "How was the rest of your day?"

"It was nice, I… got to spend a lot of time with Jaune and Pyrrha." Well,  _ that _ was strange. Maybe she had simply never noticed before, but Weiss' eyes had a hint of disappointment at the mention of Pyrrha. Was she still frustrated that she had been partnered up with Ruby instead of the four time champion? "I just tried to take things pretty easy, we can… we can work on trying to figure things out more tomorrow…"

"And are you going to see Professor Goodwitch soon?" Ouch. Straight for the kill, huh, Weiss? No beating around the bushes like most everyone else. "The fact that she offers that kind of service to students is incredible, you shouldn't be so quick to dismiss it."

"Weiss…" Ruby seemed to find the floor extremely interesting in her attempts to avoid her partner's stare, playing that the hem of her skirt nervously. "I-I'm fine. I wasn't hurt, just a little shaken up. I don't want to bother her when there's nothing wrong. H-how did you even know she offered to talk to me?"

"I'm your partner, you boob. It's my job to know when my partner is flagged with any sort of concern from a member of the staff." Weiss deadpanned, Ruby getting the impression that the older girl was annoyed about her not having read something important. "I'm your partner, so I was sent a notification as soon as the school was informed something had happened, Ruby. The only reason Yang was told is because she was your sister, otherwise they'd probably have remained ignorant of what happened unless I elected to share it. What?! Don't look at me like that I would've told her!"

"Thanks Weiss!" Ruby chirped, smiling brightly, much to the older girl's chagrin. Nice Weiss was always nice to interact with, though Ruby had a sneaking suspicion her friend wouldn't enjoy the moniker.

"You're avoiding the issue, Ruby." Darn! Being Nice Weiss did not preclude being perceptive, it seemed. The older girl had a suspicious look in her eyes that caused Ruby to wither away a little, unable to effectively utilize her "puppy eyes" as Yang would call them. "Professor Goodwitch has a very busy schedule, if she's offering to take time out of her day to assist you, you should be grateful."

"Weiss… it's not that I'm not grateful. I'm really glad that Goodwitch," Ruby squeaked under the stern glare of her friend, " _ Professor  _ Goodwitch, is willing to help. I just don't think it'd be okay for me to take advantage of her! It's fine, okay? I just had a bad dream, it'll pass."

Weiss frowned, clearly not happy with that answer, but let free a frustrated sigh, relenting. "Fine. I can't force you to talk to the professor if you don't want to, just know that I think you should." Ruby nodded slowly, only pausing as her partner offered a more genuine smile than usual. "And please, I know we aren't as close as you are to Jaune or Pyrrha or Yang, maybe even Blake… but please don't hesitate to ask if you want to talk to me. You're my partner, we need to look out for each other."

Okay that was it, Weiss couldn't say something that nice without expecting a hug! Ignoring the pleas of "unhand me, you dolt!" Ruby brought her friend into a cheerful embrace, different then the kind she would give Pyrrha or Jaune, though it was hard to explain exactly why. Weiss wasn't the biggest fan of hugs, Ruby could tell that much, but sometimes it felt like she needed one anyways. The way she would always relax into them but remain unsure what to do told Ruby that her partner wasn't entirely familiar with familial physical affection, and that made her sad, so she always tried to give a little to help her feel more welcome. "Thank you, Weiss!" Ruby chirped gleefully, before separating from the still sadly one-sided hug, smiling wholeheartedly at the older girl. "I'll keep in mind that you're here for me, Weiss. I hope it hasn't come across as though I forgot about you. I just… I know you like to be a bit private."

"Of course not, you dolt!" Weiss refuted, her haughty air going all out as it usually would after Ruby would hug the Atlesian. "I'm going to… see if I can find the others, have a good night!" 

Awww, she hadn't meant to send Weiss away. Ruby sighed ineffectually, shaking her head as she started to get changed. Hopefully tonight would be a better one.

* * *

"Blake?" The Faunus felt her bow tense as concealed ears shot up, the hushed voice of her partner approaching from behind. There was a time when she might've gone for the absent Gambol Shroud when startled by the boisterous blonde, but she had grown accustomed to the woman's rather lacking understanding of personal space. Gods it had honestly started to  _ grow _ on her, of all things. "Blake, do you think we could talk a bit?"

"Yang," the brunette was hesitant, her voice almost as hushed as her partner's. Amber eyes darted to the side, though Yang likely wouldn't even notice in the low lighting. "I'm not sure… I still feel drained, after earlier."

"Please?" Oh, no. Yang sounded genuinely hurt by something, Blake suddenly found herself wincing at the thought of ignoring her. Her partner started to retreat, feeling as though she shouldn't have asked, when the Faunus darted a hand out, grabbing the blonde's wrist, shaking her head, hoping she would see that she was wanted despite the darkness. "You mean?" Blake nodded, letting out a quiet affirmative.

"I… thanks, Blake." Yang said, gently sitting down beside the cat Faunus, exhaling nervously. It was honestly strange, seeing how different Yang could act when they were alone instead of surrounded by others. She was a lot more sensitive than she first let on, but never seemed good at sharing it. "Thank you, f-for this morning. I woke up when I heard Ruby start to panic in the bathroom, b-but I wasn't sure what to do. You didn't even pause to think, you just ran in there and started helping right away."

"Yang, it's okay if you weren't sure what to do, what to say." Blake reassured the brawler, smiling at her despite her lack of night vision. "You and I don't have the same experiences, and so sometimes… sometimes that means we have to work off each other's strengths, right? I'm sure any of your hugs would do her a world better than mine."

"I'm not so sure." Yang said bluntly, the despair in her voice coming unbidden. Blake hated to see that sad look on her partner's face, it seemed almost anathema to her, after how used to Yang's bright demeanor she'd become. "She… she's grown a whole lot in the time that we started at Beacon. She used to be so reserved, afraid to speak and she barely even had acquaintances, let alone friends. Now she has all sorts of people she can reach out to other than me, and she seems way more comfortable doing that instead of speaking to me."

"Yang. You know that isn't fair, to you or your sister." Blake insisted, surprised that her concern for the blonde had drawn her so far out of her silence. "You're important to Ruby, you always will be. You know that."

"But she has Jaune and Pyrrha now, even if she hasn't really gotten that yet." Yang said softly, frowning. "What if she decides to leave me, too?"

"Yang, you can't say that." Blake insisted gently, finding herself aching for the brawler. "I… know that it's probably not the same, but in some of the books I read, parents will find themselves worried as their children grow up and no longer need them, do you think that's what's wrong? Are you worried because Ruby is growing up?"

"It's… maybe that's some of it." Yang admitted, not even noticing that Blake had put a hand atop hers as she looked off towards the distance. "It's been me and Ruby for a long time, and even though I had other friends at Signal, Ruby always came first. Now I'm not sure if she wants that or not."

"Well, let her have a little control in it, maybe?" Blake suggested, smiling at her partner. "She's been a lot more social, you said? That's a good thing. Maybe we'll get to see more of your sister than even you knew about."

"I… I guess you're right." The blonde's smile didn't reach her eyes, something Blake was able to catch thanks to her improved vision. "I'm just feeling a bit out of it right now, I'll see you later."

Blake frowned a little, worried that Yang might be internalizing a couple other issues, but resigning herself to the fact that she was in no position to press about that, especially now. "I'll see you later, Yang. I'm… glad we talked."

Well, whatever concerns Yang did have seemed to be internalized pretty quick at that, the blonde brawler offering Blake a wide grin and wave, before making her way towards the dorms. When the Faunus finally made her way there herself, she found the room dark, and quickly got herself ready to sleep. Soon enough, the room was silent, save the errant sound of a page turning occasionally, but Blake found rest quickly.


	6. Seeking Understanding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The new semester has officially begun, but unfortunately, Ruby is still struggling to get recent events off her mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhh I was gonna post yesterday but wow I didn't sleep well and couldn't for the life of me finish the chapter! Here it is, though, sorry for the wait! 
> 
> Not super duper confident with it, but I like the interactions I had with the trio, so hopefully you all will, too! Please comment if you have anything to say, be it suggestion, criticism, question, or just a happy message! Thank you all for reading!

_One of the first things you must learn about how humanity treats us, is how much they’ve taken away from our people. It wasn’t just slavery, it wasn’t just the discrimination, it was the systematic erasure of thousands of years of history. Look no further than the so-called center of equality, Vale. The Kingdom of Vale was once a haven for Faunus across the world, their Queens and Kings known for their “Gilded Crown of Bone.” After centuries of intermingling, they lost their traits and their history was pushed aside for the more palatable idea that they were always human._

_If not for older ruins of trade outposts and salvaged documents secreted away in Kuo Kuana, we would not have any information about the state of Faunus before the humans of the world decided that we were lesser than them for our gifts, and sought to enslave and stamp out our individuality. We’ve only managed to scrape the surface of who we once were, after centuries forced beneath the boot of humanity, and even now, after granting us “equal rights” they do not care to actually recognize them. We are barred from businesses, forced to live in squalor if we do not wish to reside on the “gift” of “Menagerie,” a land of our own Mistral tore from us nearly five hundred years ago, now named as though we are merely an attraction._

_Even the name we gave our home, Kuo Kuana, stands as a symbol for how we have been taught to view ourselves in this world. “Rejected.” I say we reject that! We reject the constraints of -_

* * *

"Ruby!" The redhead looked up from the leatherbound book, giving a startled squeak as she found her partner staring at her with a rather serious expression, frowning. "Why are you reading that?! It's not even directed towards you!"

“W-Weiss!” Ruby groaned, clinging _The Third Crusade_ to her chest tightly to keep it away from her irate partner. There had been a ningling curiosity in her mind ever since she’d gotten the book, though, technically, she guessed the book technically might belong to Blake? Blake didn’t seem to mind, though, if she’d even noticed that Ruby was reading it. “I was just… I want to understand where they’re coming from. They’re still people, even if we’re trying to stop them from working with Torchwick.”

Weiss let out a huff, leering slightly before rolling her eyes. “Fine, just… don’t get caught with it. It’s illegal to possess in the Vale.” That was such a weird thought, who made owning books illegal? Vale’s Council, she guessed, but it was still weird. “Anyways, come on. We’ve got to get ready for class.”

The younger girl let out a defeated groaning, sitting up and packing her things. The weekend had gone by all too quickly, and it was finally the first day of classes for their second semester. That wouldn’t be too bad, if not for the fact that Port was their first class of the day on Mondays. The very thought of sitting through his class for an hour and a half was agonizing to Ruby, but it wasn’t as though she could escape it. Well… maybe… Ruby looked to the book that Weiss disliked so much, brow furrowing in thought. She was pretty sure that Blake had hid books inside other books before, maybe she could do the same. 

Placing it with the rest of her things, Ruby followed her partner out of their team’s dorm room and on the way to class, her face brightening as soon as she spotted team JNPR on the way as well. “Jaune, Pyrrha!” Ruby gleefully exclaimed, not noticing the downcast expression on her partner’s face as she barrelled forward into the duo, pulling them into a cheerful hug. “Good morning!”

“Good morning, Ruby.” Pyrrha greeted warmly, wrapping an arm around the shorter girl as she struggled to hold the both of them at once. “Did you sleep well?” At the rapid nodding Ruby gave in response, Pyrrha chuckled brightly, smiling at her friend, a little reluctant to let go as the embrace ended. 

“That’s good.” Jaune noted with a yawn, ruffling Ruby’s hair as she playfully pouted. “I certainly didn’t. Why did Oobleck have a project for us to do over the break, again?” 

“That’s why I told you to do it sooner, Jaune.” Pyrrha said with a lighthearted sigh, smiling softly as she shook her head. “Trying to wait until the last minute to do all of your assignments is why your grades are so middling. You’re smart, you just don’t apply yourself.” Jaune stuck his tongue out at Pyrrha, eliciting a playfully shocked gasps from the champion as Ruby broke into a fit of giggles. 

"We're going to be late if you stand around playing all day." Weiss interrupted the group's merriment, looking rather frustrated. Ruby worried that her partner was still feeling whatever jealousy she had seen when talking about hanging out with Pyrrha, even if it quickly faded once more. The heiress huffed in annoyance, taking lead as the group headed towards Port's class, Ruby dragging behind with Pyrrha and Jaune as everyone got seated. The Silver-eyed girl offered her partner an apologetic smile as the class started, Ruby seated between Jaune and Pyrrha on the row behind her team.

Today's lecture was particularly boring, given Port was just refreshing on what the first semester was about. Big shock: it was mostly about him. She really tried to pay attention, honest, but when it comes to classes Port was definitely the worst. It wasn't long before Ruby had slipped _The Third Crusade_ out of her books, cautiously looking around the room as the professor droned on about _butter_ of all things. How that was going to defeat a horde of Ravagers the girl could care less. 

Opening the book, Ruby was quick to pick up where she left off at the start, interested in the opening by Sienna Khan, the woman apparently leading the White Fang. She would have to ask Blake about that, since as frustrated as Sienna seemed through her text, she didn't come across as the kind of person to side with Torchwick, especially given the status of the thief as a human. The things the book's introduction talked of ranged, but what fascinated Ruby most was the information on the history that Sienna claimed had been buried away. The idea that Faunus might have initially founded Vale was fascinating, and definitely one she would try studying further.

“Whatcha reading?” Ruby let out a muffled “eep” as Jaune leaned over, looking at the book curiously. Squinting, he tried to see if he recognized it at all, before recalling exactly where he might’ve seen this. “Wait, that’s… isn’t that the book that T- the book that was for Blake?”

“Y-yeah.” Ruby confirmed in a disheartened whisper, her mind starting to drift back to what happened despite Jaune’s effort to not mention the man’s name, feeling the growing knot in her stomach. As if noticing her distress, Pyrrha shifted slightly closer, giving her a brief smile before turning to face Port again, lest they draw any attention from him. The younger girl took a hushed breath, holding for a few seconds before exhaling. “It’s called _The Third Crusade_. It’s apparently the, uh, illegal manifesto of the White Fang.” The rather concerned expression Jaune was giving her at that revelation wasn’t helping, the younger girl puffing out her cheeks in frustration. “I’ll explain later, when we won’t get in trouble for talking.” 

As if on queue, Professor Port cleared his throat loudly, squinted eyes directing themselves pointedly towards the trio, who did their best to look as though there hadn’t been any talking going on. "Well, Miss Rose, thank you for volunteering." The stout professor announced, Ruby shooting Jaune a rather pointed look, the blonde responding with an apologetic one in turn. "If you wouldn't mind retrieving your weapon and combat gear, Miss Rose, you will probably need it for your demonstration." Demonstration? Oh no she hadn't been paying attention, and now there were all kinds of people staring at her, even more than usual now that the visiting students from other academies had been integrated into the class. She had a sinking feeling in her stomach that this wasn’t going to go well.

* * *

Oh that feeling had not gone away in the five minutes it had taken to get ready (she was a quick dresser thanks to her semblance, don’t give her weird looks like that!), and as she entered the classroom, Crescent Rose in hand, currently still a compacted rifle, Ruby tried to get a better idea of whatever Port had in mind for this demonstration. The growling coming from the cage the professor had dragged into class certainly wasn’t a familiar sound to the young Huntress in training, so she assumed it wasn’t a Beowolf or Ursa. “There you are, Miss Rose!” The professor chuckled loudly, blunderbuss axe in hand, waiting beside the cage. “If you’re ready, then, we can begin!” 

Ruby nodded nervously, grip tightening on her sniper-scythe as Professor Port brought his weapon down on the cage’s lock. Unlike Weiss’ opponent so many months ago at the start of the school year, Ruby’s did not wait a moment before leaping towards her, the girl giving a terrified shriek as she tapped into her semblance, rose petals trailing behind her as she reappeared on the other side of the small arena. The large feline Grimm wasn’t one she had ever seen, but she _had_ read about it before. A _Sabyr_ , a large saber-toothed cat Grimm, one that was rarely even seen on Sanus. 

Deploying Crescent Rose is her full form, Ruby took a deep breath as she spun on her heel to meet the Grimm’s next snarling leap, sharp claws clattering against the scythe blade with the agonizing sound of nails scratching against metal. Ruby winced at the shrill noise, but unfortunately for her, her opponent didn’t seem to process it at all, instead making a swift strike against her chest. A pained gasp escaped her lips as her aura flared up, a red field flickering around her as she stumbled back. “Careful, now, Miss Rose! The Sabyr’s claws are well known for their sharpness!” 

Yeah, sharpness, that was an understatement. It felt like that one hit had nearly halved her aura, and she didn’t dare check her scroll for fear of letting another hit in. Petals blurred around her as she charged forward, something seeming to twist inside her as her semblance activated and she appeared behind her opponent, firing off a round from Crescent Rose, the accelerated momentum bringing the scythe through the large feline’s back leg, causing the creature to stagger as it tried to find new footing with one paw absent. Taking advantage of the pause in the Grimm’s attacks, Ruby twisted around, stabbing Crescent Rose’s blade just before the rib-like bone protrusions formed on its body, firing off another round that cleaved the creature nearly in two. 

“Well done Miss Rose!” Ruby jumped with a start as Professor Port gave her an enthusiastic clap on the back, the older man grinning widely. “While not exactly how I had suggested the class handle a Sabyr, that was an excellent fight. In future, of course, I’d be careful about how you block their attacks, as you all saw, the sound their claws make against metal is quite unpleasant.” The teacher looked down towards Ruby, giving her what she assumed was a proud smile (honestly it was hard to tell with that mustache concealing so much of his mouth). “Thank you, Miss Rose. You may take your seat, no need to get changed again yet, class time is burning!”

Ruby gave a halfhearted nod, the pain of that earlier strike still ringing through her chest, even if her aura hadn’t shattered from it. Taking her seat between Jaune and Pyrrha, she barely managed to touch her butt to the bench before the blonde began to blurt out an apology. “Ruby! I’m so sorry!” He brought his arm around her in a hug, worry painted across his face. “I-If I hadn’t been so nosey Port wouldn’t have noticed you and then you- You got hurt! Are you okay? This is all my fault, I’m an idiot, I shouldn’t have been such a pest!”

“Jaune.” Ruby hated how blunt she sounded but her stomach still _really_ hurt, even if she was trying to ignore it as best as possible. The older boy stopped his flood of words, though he still was looking wide-eyed and concerned, an action mirrored slightly by Pyrrha, though she was trying not to be so overt in the classroom. “You’re being really loud and we’re still in the middle of class.” Ruby deadpanned, before leaning against his arm with a slight groan. “I’m going to sit here and you’re going to take notes, okay?” The blonde gave a meek nod, which she replied to with a warm smile. “Thank you.” 

* * *

“Are you sure you’re okay?” This had to be the sixth or seventh time Jaune had asked in the past hour, Ruby rolling her eyes ineffectually as she looked up at Pyrrha, who just gave a lighthearted chuckle. Maybe being overly doting was a trait in all blondes? Now that classes had ended for the day, the trio had made their way back to the top of the dormitory, where Jaune and Pyrrha would train. Ruby sat between the two, resting her head on the older girl’s shoulder, who in turn had an arm snaked around her back, resting at the younger girl’s side. “Come on, Ruby, please take this seriously, you could’ve gotten really hurt!” Jaune, meanwhile, was barely sitting at all, too busy fretting over her _hours_ after taking that hit from the Sabyr she’d fought. 

“I’m fine, Jaune!” Ruby repeated, as she had every time the fretting boy had asked. “It was one hit, and I’m tough enough to handle it!” Sure, don’t mention the whole part where another hit might’ve taken her down, but that would make him even more concerned and she really didn’t want to do that! 

“Be that as it may, Ruby,” uh oh, now Pyrrha was getting in on it, too. The taller redhead’s other hand was placed on her leg, emerald eyes filled with worry meeting reluctant silver. “You’re… important to us. Of course we’re worried, I think we both would be, even if you weren’t hurt.”

“Oh, w-well, um. Thank you.” Ruby felt her cheeks warm, ducking her head slightly. Why did Jaune and Pyrrha have to be so concerned about her, it really wasn’t any big deal? So she got a little roughed up by a Grimm in class, no problem! Professor Port would’ve intervened if things had gotten out of hand! “S-So, um…” Quick, change the subject, anything but herself! “I guess you, um, might want to know why I was reading, um… _that._ ”

“Only if you’re okay telling us,” Jaune replied, his voice still heavy with concern, though he seemed to have picked up on her attempt to redirect the conversation, offering a sympathetic smile. “If you’re not, then you don’t have to worry about it. It’s not our business.”

“No, it’s… it’s probably for the best, Jaune.” Ruby shook her head a little, before resting it against Pyrrha again. Her tone was more resigned than she’d like it to be, but she felt a little better when the blonde placed his hand on her shoulder, offering a reassuring squeeze. Smiling softly, she inhaled slowly, thinking about how to explain what she was doing. “This book, _The Third Crusade_ , it’s the one that Tukson slipped us, like you guessed Jaune. A-And apparently it’s sort of like the White Fang’s… big manifesto? It was written by Sienna Khan, the current leader, and, uh,” Ruby paused, hesitating for a moment. She didn’t want to really… expose Blake’s secrets, not more than had already been exposed. “Their former leader.” Yeah that would work, it was kind of vague but hopefully not too vague!

“Their former leader?” Oh dear Pyrrha sounded like she was pondering and if there was one thing Ruby knew for sure, it was the Pyrrha was really, _really_ smart. “Ruby… do you mean Ghira _Belladonna_?” 

“Um, y-yeah.” The shorter girl squeaked out, nodding meekly. “S-Sorry, I didn’t really want to, um… say.” 

“Oh! I’m sorry!” Pyrrha apologized, looking rather ashamed all of the sudden. “I just… I’m surprised I hadn’t put it together yet, knowing that she is a Faunus, Blake really didn’t do much to hide her identity. I’ve seen her father on the news more than once, I’m surprised neither of you have.”

“Uh, well, you know how it is. My parents didn’t really like the news, figured things were better if we just focused on local stuff.” Jaune explained, scratching at the back of his neck with his free hand. “More important to focus on the family business than worry about the things going on in the Kingdom’s capital.” 

“Don’t look at me!” Ruby squeaked in agreement, looking a bit embarrassed as Pyrrha turned her gaze towards her. “I didn’t really… watch a lot of stuff on the CCT. I was always too busy with Crescent Rose during the day, and then I’d read at night. I didn’t even know what Roman Torchwick was when he was robbing From Dust Till Dawn!” 

“You two should really keep more apprised of current events.” Pyrrha chided, though Ruby could tell she meant it purely out of concern for her friends. “Anyways, we’ve gotten a bit off topic. Why exactly _are_ you reading that, Ruby, if it’s the manifesto of Sienna Khan and Ghira Belladonna?”

“I, well…” Ruby averted her gaze towards the ground, frowning a little. “If we’re… if we’re fighting the White Fang, I want to understand them, so I figured that maybe I could get some insight by reading it.”

“You want to understand them?” Jaune sounded as though he didn’t quite understand, but at least he wasn’t dismissing her out of hand, without giving her a chance to explain. “Like so it’s easier to fight them?”

“I see what you’re going for, Jaune,” Pyrrha acknowledged, looking up towards him, offering a polite smile. “I don’t think she’s looking at this in an attempt to exploit a weakness, though, are you, Ruby?”

“What? No!” The very thought was mortifying to the silver-eyed Huntress, who writhed in place as she shuddered. “No! I… The people in the White Fang, most of them just want to be treated better, they’ve turned to doing some… less than good things right now.” Ruby took a deep breath, grabbing at the hem of her skirt. “If we can’t figure out _why_ they’re struggling, and fix it, we might as well not be doing anything at all. I’m… I’m a Huntress, or I’m going to be, anyways. There’s no way I’m going to just ignore the problems at hand. The least I can do is try to understand why they joined the White Fang.” Ruby hadn’t even realized her voice was starting to raise until Pyrrha placed a hand atop her own, giving a gentle squeeze. The younger girl ducked her head down in shame, feeling a pit in her stomach. “I’m sorry, I just… they’re people, and I want to be a Huntress to help people, even if they’re misguided.”

"I think that's really beautiful." What? Ruby felt her cheeks warm, turning back to look at Pyrrha, who was smiling warmly at her. She felt the older girl squeeze her hand again, and it became even harder to push back the stupid blush that was on her face. It was frustrating! Pyrrha was just being nice. Why was that so weirdly pleasant? Obviously everything that Pyrrha did was pleasant. She was amazing and perfect but why did it hearing that make her feel so… giddy. "The desire to help everyone, even the people you're working to stop, that's beautiful, Ruby. Romantic."

"Oh, um…"

"She's right." Oh gosh Ruby could barely get the start of something out of her mouth before Jaune had interjected, the blonde looking at her with a look she could only call "inspired." It was so weird! Why was Jaune making her feel so appreciated! All she did was say she wanted to help people, it shouldn't have been a big deal at all! "That kind of mindset… I wish it was something that came to me as easily."

"It's really not that big a deal!" Ruby squeaked out insistently, head ducking down as she tried to hide within the confines of her hood. Really why were they acting like she'd said anything at all impressive, she certainly didn't feel that she had. "You two would say the same thing, for sure!"

Jaune and Pyrrha looked each other in the eye, as if silently conversing, before the older girl spoke up. "I wouldn't be so sure, Ruby." Hearing her friend say that surprised Ruby, the short redhead turning around to look at her friends, a baffled expression across her face. "It can be easy for someone to make generalizations about their foes, it might even be encouraged. I'm glad that you don't, though. I hope you never do, in fact. Having compassion as you do is an admirable trait."

Ruby wasn’t really sure how to respond to that, continuing to try concealing herself within the recesses of her cloak. “I… thank you.” She mumbled, whimpering ineffectually as she found herself unable to redirect their praise. She let out a small gasp as she felt Pyrrha’s arm wrap around her own, the older girl giving her a reassuring smile, while Jaune wrapped his arm around them both. “I just… I wish that we could all get along, but I know that it’s not as simple as that. M-Maybe having a little understanding is all that it’ll take, to at least make a difference. I-I know that it's a bit childish, b-but-"

"Hey, stop that." The severity of Jaune's voice caught Ruby off guard, her words dying in her throat. "You're not childish because you want to make a difference in the world, Ruby. You shouldn't be so quick to talk yourself down like that."

“He’s right.” Pyrrha stated, holding the shorter girl a little closer, a warm smile on her face despite her flushed cheeks. “It’s not childish, Ruby. It’s wonderful. You’re wonderful, you just don’t give yourself enough credit.”

“I-I…” Ruby’s cheeks warmed once more, the Huntress in training finding an unfamiliar sensation twisting in her stomach. “You two are the best.” She muttered softly, resting her head against Pyrrha’s shoulder again. “I’m glad that you’re my friends. I-I was really scared when I started here at Beacon, th-that it would be the same as Signal again, but I… I’m so glad you proved me wrong.”

“Hey, I’ve told you before and I’m sure I’ll tell you again, those jerks at Signal don’t know what they were missing out on.” Jaune reaffirmed, resting his head against her shoulder while her head was against Pyrrha’s, the blonde smiling gently. “You’re a really cool girl, Ruby, you just don’t really seem to know that.” 

“Well, we’ll just have to be sure we keep reminding her, won’t we?” Pyrrha teased, smiling warmly at the duo. “I hate to change the subject, but thank you for telling us why you were reading that, Ruby. I think it’s very admirable.”

“W-Well, um. I don’t like keeping secrets from you. J-Just trying to avoid saying that Blake’s dad was writing this was really hard!” The younger girl squeaked out, her expression slowly falling. “I still don’t know what to do, though… A-After what happened to Mister Tukson, I feel like… like I have to do something.”

“Hey, you’ll figure it out.” Jaune reassured, ruffling her hair with his free hand. “You’re Ruby Rose, and you’re the best Huntress in our year, I’m sure you’ll decide something. Just take all the time you need, and until then? We’ll be here.” Ruby found herself at a loss for words, her eyes getting a bit watery. Blinking away errant joyful tears, she smiled brightly. 

“Thank you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have some trouble writing the school scenes, I guess I can't blame RT for not actually focusing on that part of the series all the much, even when they still were at Beacon! I'll probably try to focus on the weekends, when it's easier for more things to happen!


	7. Making Plans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been a week since Tukson's death, and despite her hopes, things weren't getting easier, for herself or Blake. Ruby seeks to find a remedy for this with the aid of her team and JNPR.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not super satisfied with this one but I think that's just because I got a little stuck on it. Hopefully people enjoy it! If you have any criticisms, comments, feedbacks, anything, please feel free to leave a comment! Thank you for reading!

Ruby looked up to the sky as an Atlesian dropship flew overhead, her hair blowing about in the wind left by the aircraft’s passing. It had been just a few days since the semester started, and several Atlesian airships arrived, bringing with them the Atlas students for the festival. She had hoped, admittedly, that the presence of the Atlesian fleet would do something to assuage Blake’s growing anxiety about the White Fang and Torchwick, as well as her own, but instead, she found it growing even worse. 

Blake had run off, again, though not to any severe degree. Just back to the dorms, which is where Ruby was headed now. Yang had managed to convince the team to resurrect the Xiao Long family tradition of game day on Friday evenings, in hindsight, Ruby realized this was probably an attempt by her sister to cheer herself and Blake up, but it wasn’t working, at least, not as intended. Instead, when Sun arrived with his new friend who was being… weird… with Weiss, Blake had gotten fed up with everything and abandoned the game entirely. 

After asking for Jaune to spot for her, Sun’s friend Neptune filling in for Blake, Ruby went off after the irate Faunus, not to scold her or anything, but because she could relate. Truth be told, Ruby didn’t want to be there playing games with her team, the very thought of playing games right now left her a little uneasy. Ever since… Ever since she’d seen Tukson’s body and been dragged back into the mess that was the White Fang and their cooperation with Torchwick, Ruby had been stressed about what to do next. Sure, getting to hang out with Pyrrha and Jaune helped assuage her some, it certainly helped her relax, but it was still looming over like always. 

Entering the dorm as quietly as she could, the redhead prepared to be told that she should leave, or something to that effect, but instead, she just found Blake sitting in her lower bunk, massaging her temples. “Blake?” Oh, well, that seemed to work, sort of. She was giving Ruby that “I really don’t want to deal with you right now” face. Raising her hands up defensively, the young team leader gave a nervous shrug. “Look, I’m not here to start a fight or anything, you don’t need to be reprimanded for not wanting to play board games with Yang. Honestly, I’m not sure why anyone would want to, she’s absolutely ruthless.” A small smirk, that was a success! “So, um, wanna talk about it?”

“Sure.” Blake relented, patting a space in the bed beside her. Ruby was happy to take the spot, smiling warmly at the older girl, who let out a playful sigh. “I’m… I’m thinking of that night. At the docks.” Oh, that was unexpected. Then again, everything seemed to lead back to that, in the end. “I… I made myself known then, I revealed myself after half a year and more away from the White Fang. It was- it was inevitable that they’d make an example of the man who helped shield me from them.” 

“Hey, it wasn’t your fault.” Ruby insisted, frowning a little as she put her hand on the Faunus’ back, offering a supportive pat like she’d seen Yang do. “And you heard what he wrote, Blake. He’s proud to have helped you. He wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“That doesn’t make me feel any less guilty Ruby.” Blake snapped back, her expression softening into regret at the younger girl’s pained look. “I… I got him involved in things, when he’d all but retired. That’s my fault, even if he was happy to help.” Blake let out a loud sigh, resting her head in her hands. “You know, Professor Ozpin talked to me, that night. After we got back to the Academy.”

“He did?” Ruby tilted her head to the side a little, a few errant strands of hair falling into her face as she looked at Blake curiously. “You never told us.”

“I didn’t want to. It was… He asked me why I still wore the bow.” As if on queue, the brunette’s hand rose to her head, grabbing the cloth concealing her ears and removing it. “I lied to him. I said that I wanted people to see me for who I am, not what I am. But that’s not true. That’s not why I started wearing this bow, even if it was a convenient excuse. I wore it to hide myself, not from humans, but from the White Fang. To them, I’d be just another human Huntress at the academy. Not… The daughter of their former High Leader.”

“Well, um, not to uh… be too harsh, but,” Ruby ducked her head a little, chuckling nervously, “maybe next time, a pseudonym as well? Pyrrha caught on to who you were really quick, she’s seen your dad on the CCT before.”

“Well, you’re not wrong.” Blake sighed, leaning back into her bed, looking up at the bunk above. “I wasn’t really thinking straight when I signed up for Beacon, I was still just a couple months free from Adam and jumping at every shadow. And once I applied, there was no changing the name listed.” 

Oh, that made a bit more sense than Ruby had expected. “Um, well, that’s too bad.” Darn that was awkward, now she felt bad for bringing it up at all. 

“I’m scared Ruby. I’m scared that the White Fang, that the movement my father and Sienna have used to bring so much positive change for the Faunus, is being used by Adam, not to bring about change, but to just to bring about death and destruction.” Looking up towards the redhead, Blake blinked away a few stressed tears. “The night before we departed for our last mission, I… I confronted him about what he’d been doing at the raids. Not just stealing, or liberating Faunus penal laborers, he’d been slaughtering the guards. We tried to avoid killing unless absolutely necessary, even if we were okay with property destruction. But Adam? He reveled in it that night. He told me he enjoyed killing them.”

"I won't… I won't pretend to understand what Faunus go through every day, Blake, but…" Ruby hesitated, trying to figure out exactly what she wanted to say. She had the essence, but not beyond that. Taking a deep breath, she locked silver eyes onto amber. "What do _you_ want to do about the current situation, Blake? About Torchwick working with… with Adam's White Fang. I don't think it's right to associate them with Sienna, from what I've read she doesn't like the idea of killing unless necessary, not like how you describe Adam's enthusiasm."

"I want to stop him, of course!" Blake found her voice raising unintentionally, ears flattening on her head in shame. Ruby found her lips turning up in a smile, looking proudly at her sister's partner. "What? Why are you smiling, Ruby? I-I have to do this on my own."

"Nope!" Gosh, sometimes there was nothing more exciting than a good rejection of bad ideas. Standing up in a blur of red, a few errant petals trailing behind her, Ruby placed her hands on her hips, giving an affectionate yet stern look at the Faunus. "No way are you doing this alone. I'm involved in this, whether either of us would like it or not, so there's no point in trying to dissuade me. Jaune and Pyrrha are also involved, and I can guarantee they'll bring Ren and Nora. And you know that Yang and Weiss aren't going to sit back from this."

"B-but-"

"But nothing, Blake! We're a team, and they're our friends!" Ruby declared triumphantly, cheeks coloring with a bit of pride. Even if she was trying to encourage Blake, she found her words a little uplifting of a reminder. It was so easy to get lost in her darker thoughts sometimes, and there was no shame going to her teammates and friends for help. "Jaune and Pyrrha promised that they were with me, no matter what I do, and this is what I want to do! I want to take down Torchwick before he can keep causing harm, before more innocent people get hurt!"

"Ruby, I…" Blake's ears were flat to her head, eyes averting to the ground. "I can't ask you to put yourself at risk."

"You're not." Blake stared blankly at Ruby, the silver eyed girl grinning at her. "I'm volunteering. I want to help. Now, uh…" Ruby sheepishly plopped herself beside the Faunus. "Do you want to help me figure out what to say to Yang and Weiss so they don't freak out?"

At _that_ , Blake agreed.

* * *

"I still don't know how you managed to pull off a win from that far behind." Blake's ears perked up as she heard the muffled voice of her partner coming down the hall, near their room, now. Enhanced hearing was something she was always glad to have inherited from her mom, as interesting as having claws like her dad might be, now more than ever with the forewarning it provided. "There's no way Ruby could've made a turn around like that."

"That's because you don't have experience going up against seven sisters." _Seven_ sisters? Gods, Mrs. Arc must've been a hard working mother to wrangle that many children. Pushing that thought away, Blake tapped her leader's shoulder, the young redhead giving her a confused look until the Faunus pointed to her ears. Ruby had been at work for the better part of an hour trying to get things prepared for asking her team and their neighboring one to join them on their quest to take care of Torchwick, a mess of papers now strewn across the desk on her and Weiss's side or the room. Weiss would probably be mad about the binder, but that could wait. "Saphron was ruthless, especially when she brought Terra over to visit. And Ridi? She wouldn't stay down, no matter what. It's only natural I've picked up some skill."

"Whatever," that haughty voice was undeniably Weiss, Blake could almost hear the ineffectual pouting from here. She could _definitely_ hear Yang pulling the frosty Atlesian into a side embrace and laughing. "I still don't think you had to team up against Neptune like that, he seemed a perfectly fine individual to me. Quite polite."

"And let the new guy win?" Yang laughed again, this time joined by Jaune. "No thanks, _Snow Angel_ ." That jab managed to pull even the normally reserved Pyrrha into laughter, just as the door to the dorm opened. "Okay! We're back!" Yang called out blindly, only to be met with a wide-eyed Blake hovering just beyond the doorway, Ruby beside her with one of Weiss's binders in hand, the heiress's name crossed out and replaced with _Operation: Snuff the Candle._ Blake wondered why their team leader had such a penchant for weird names, but considering her sister was Yang, maybe wordplay ran in the family? "So, uh…" The blonde brawler blinked sheepishly. "What's up?"

As all eyes turned to her, Ruby gave a nervous squawk, flailing a little in place. "Um, we were, well," oh Brothers why did she have to have so much trouble talking? Looking to Jaune and Pyrrha with pleading eyes, she was met with only silence. Gosh she was going to have to do this, wasn't she? "Jaune, c-can you go get Ren and Nora? This is uh, a two team discussion." As Jaune went to gather the rest of his team, Yang and Weiss entered the room proper, Pyrrha close behind as she approached Ruby, giving the younger girl a look of concern. "C-can we open a window or something, it's just feeling a bit… stuffy in here." 

Yang acquiesced, unlatching the sealed window and letting it hang open, a cool breeze blowing through. Ruby took a deep breath, sitting on Blake's bunk, looking down at her hands as she tried to figure out how to say what she needed to. Should she go for the nuanced approach? Maybe just go guns blazing and announce that they're going after Torchwick? The bed sank next to her, and a strong arm suddenly wrapped around her, Ruby looking up to find Pyrrha beside her, giving her an encouraging smile and hug. "We've got your back, Ruby." The champion whispered, her tone warm and soothing, as she gave a reassuring squeeze on the shorter girl's shoulder. Taking a deep breath, Ruby placed her right hand on the silver rose broach, running her thumb across it. She could do this. Looking up, she found the rest of her team and team JNPR crammed into the small dorm, patiently waiting on her. 

"Right. Well, I… Blake and I wanted to ask all of you for help." Ruby looked briefly to Blake, before returning her gaze to the rest of the group. "Roman Torchwick is working with the White Fang, and we have to stop him. We've made some plans but we're going to need help accomplishing them." Standing up, she inhaled briefly. "There's a White Fang meeting tomorrow evening, and Blake intends to be there to see if she can find any information. Weiss, if you can get us access to SDC records, we might be able to see where Torchwick has been targeting lately. Yang, I know you have some, uh, shady associates in Vale, do you think one of them might be able to help provide information?"

"I… suppose that I could access the company records." Weiss agreed hesitantly, "I am the heiress of the Schnee Dust Company, after all." Ruby held back a chuckle, rolling her eyes. Weiss always said it that way. "Schnee Dust Company." Never "SDC."

"You shouldn't know about those kind of places," Yang affectionately scolded, walking up and ruffling Ruby's hair. "But, uh, yeah. I know a guy, and last I checked, he owes me a drink."

"Sounds like a plan, then!" Ruby cheered, smiling brightly. "Go team RWBY!"

"Um… so what do you need us for?" Jaune let out an awkward cough, Ruby blushing brightly as she remembered she hadn't explained their role yet. "Not that team JNPR isn't willing to help, we absolutely are! A promise is a promise, right?"

"Oh! Um, sorry!" Ruby squeaked out, ducking her head in embarrassment. "I just figure, well… just team RWBY is a little low in numbers for this, so we could use some backup. Ren, you're pretty light on your feet, so you and Nora can shadow Blake, just in case she needs backup. Jaune and Pyrrha will come with us, Yang, just in case things get hairy."

"What about me?" Ruby wilted a little at how sad Weiss sounded to be left out of having reinforcements.

“Oh! I, um, well,” the shorter redhead looked nervously towards the ground, shoulders sinking a bit knowing that she’d be disappointing her partner. “I figured that since you’d just have to go to the CCT, you wouldn’t like, need back up then. Since you shouldn’t be in any danger.” 

“Oh. Okay.” Oh Brothers she sounded so disappointed, Ruby frowning at the downcast expression on Weiss’ face. 

“Wait! How about I go with you, Weiss?” Ruby suggested, smiling brightly. “Jaune and Pyrrha can stick with Yang, while I go with you!” Weiss’ face brightened up at that, the Atlesian girl giving a slight smile. “Does that sound okay with everyone? We can all meet up with Yang after we’ve gotten our information.”

“That sounds fine with us, Ruby.” Jaune agreed, looking around at his team for confirmation. Ren nodded, Nora responding with a rather wicked grin. Ruby felt another encouraging squeeze on her shoulder, looking up to see Pyrrha with a surprising amount of determination in her eye. "What time do we want to meet tomorrow to start this?"

"Um, maybe around two in the afternoon? I know that it's going to take a while for Yang to get to that nightclub." Ruby suggested, head lilting slightly to the side. "The White Fang meeting is around 8 in the evening, but it's pretty out of the way." Everyone seemed to agree with the suggestion, much to Ruby's relief. As much as she wanted to pull this sort of operation off, she was absolutely terrified about coordinating it. Leaning against Pyrrha, she smiled slightly, looking over the group again, a thought crossed her mind. "Hey, uh… no one happened to bring our game back from the library, did they?"

Looking between each other, Yang and Jaune suddenly got rather sheepish expressions, chuckling nervously. Well, that was all the answer Ruby needed. “I’ll go get it, and, um, thanks… to all of you. For being willing to help.”

* * *

Slipping out of her dorm room, the first thing Ruby expected to happen certainly wasn’t getting knocked onto the ground by bumping into someone. “S-Sorry!” She sputtered out nervously, looking up to see a duo in uniforms she wasn’t quite familiar with. “Are you okay?” 

“I’m fine.” The girl she’d bumped into offered a hand, Ruby sheepishly taking it and standing. “Just watch where you’re going.” Oh gosh why did this have to keep happening! She was paying attention, honest, it wasn’t her fault that they were passing right as she left her room! Why were they passing, anyways, their uniforms didn’t look like they belonged at Beacon. 

“Right, um, sorry about that.” Ruby’s eyes honed in on the group, trying to see if she recognized them from anywhere, the duo in front not ringing any bells. “Um, I’m Ruby. Are you new here?”

“Visiting from Haven, actually.” The woman behind them said, the green haired girl stepping to the side and allowing the speaker to get a good look at Ruby. She felt, well… familiar, in a way. Maybe she’d bumped into her during the school day? Ruby couldn’t quite place it but she was sure she’d met this woman before. She looked a little older than the other two, maybe she joined her academy late? 

“Ooh!” Realization dawned on Ruby’s face, her expression lightening. “You must be here for the festival. The exchange students have their own dorms.”

“We must’ve gotten turned around.” The grey haired boy suggested, speaking up for the first time. He had a weird smirk on his face that Ruby didn’t like, but, well, she wasn’t going to judge, maybe that was just how he smiled? She didn’t want to be rude, she’d already bumped into his friend like a dummy. 

“Hey, don’t worry, it, uh, it happens all the time!” She did her best to not look like she was trying to avoid his gaze, but she absolutely was. Thankfully, he started to walk past her, same as the green haired girl. “Um… Haven… your building should be _just_ east of here!”

“Thanks.” The brunette said, giving Ruby a bit of a weird smile. Like one of Weiss’ forced ones, but more casual? Gosh she must’ve really irritated them. Stepping past Ruby, the redhead dipped her shoulders a little in embarrassment, before the older student (really, had she started late, or maybe she was just hanging out with a couple of first years. Weird.) turned back to her. “Maybe we’ll see you around.” 

“Um, yeah! Maybe.” Ruby honestly hoped not, she’d gotten such weird vibes from the grey haired boy and the older girl. The green haired girl seemed nice, she guessed, sympathy to her for having to deal with the other two. Offering a nervous wave as the trio neared the end of the hall, Ruby called out to them. “Welcome to Beacon!”

Oh thank the Brothers they were gone, that was awkward. Ruby groaned a little, shaking her head as she made her way to the staircase on the other end of the dorm’s floor, as far away from them as possible. Getting to the library didn’t take too long, thankfully, once she was out of the dormitory, she was far more comfortable using her semblance. Finding their table from earlier on the second floor, Ruby was surprised to see Sun and Neptune still sitting there. 

“Oh, um, hey. Can I get that back?” She looked awkwardly at the board game still set up on the table. Neptune didn’t seem to have even noticed her, too busy looking at a book, but Sun did, putting down the game’s figurines he was fooling around with, face brightening up. 

“Hey Ruby!” The monkey Faunus exclaimed, resulting in a harsh “shh!” from his partner. Standing up, he walked over to the redhead. “How’s Blake doing? You went to check on her, so I figure things must be better now, right?”

“Um… yeah, she’ll be fine, Sun. My team and JNPR are going to… take her to hang out in Vale tomorrow.” Yeah sure that sounded like a good excuse, totally plausible. “I’m sure she’ll be feeling better after that.” Hopefully. 

“Oh! That sounds like a great idea! Me and Neptune should come!” Wait, no, Sun! It was an excuse he can’t invite himself to that!

“Um, no, we’re gonna have a pretty full party. Thanks for the offer, though?” Hopefully that’d work, but Ruby got the feeling that he was the kind of person who didn’t really get when to back off if he set his eyes on something. “So, uh, can I have my game back?”

“Oh! Sure! I’m sure I can find something else to do in this stuffy library.”

“You could _read_.” Neptune deadpanned, looking rather exasperated. 

“ _You_ could read _to_ me.” Sun replied with a smirk, his partner rolling his eyes. Okay they were being weird Ruby was going to just take her game and start packing it up. “See you later, Ruby! Say hi to Blake for me!”

“Uh, yeah! I will, Sun. See you later.” 

* * *

“So, what’d you think?”

Cinder looked up from her plans, amber eyes focusing in on Mercury. “About what?”

“The girl! That’s why we were in that hallway.” The assassin stretched his arms up, leaning back on his bed. “Didn’t look like much to me, a bit scrawny.”

“She is of no concern.” Cinder said coldly, “she didn’t recognize me from Torchwick’s botched robbery, we don’t have to worry about a thing.”

“And their little outing tomorrow?”

“Inform Roman, let him handle it. One stray cat wandering in on the rally should be easy enough to spot.” Cinder instructed. “Maybe collecting her will pacify Taurus for now. He’s been on edge ever since he found out about her after the little interruption on the dock.”

“So we don’t need to do anything?” 

“Are you questioning Cinder’s orders?” Emerald interrupted, sending Mercury a glare. 

“Nah, I’m just bored. That other cat Faunus wasn’t all that fun to take care of.”

“You’re such a freak.” 

“Whatever.”

Cinder rolled her eyes, turning her focus back to the task at hand. If Taurus could be placated with the return of the Belladonna brat, she saw no reason not to… reunite the two. It was hardly as though that silver-eyed brat and her team had any real leads to go off of, they weren’t a real concern, but keeping the White Fang in line was unfortunately necessary. Soon, she would have the power she needed to keep them _all_ in line, but until then, she was forced to rely on Taurus to keep his minions in check.


	8. Operation: Snuff the Candle 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time to get this investigation started, even if they get a little help from uninvited friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow the mania I'm going through right now having written this I'm in such a good mood. I hope everyone will enjoy this as much as I have!
> 
> Please comment if you have any feedback, reviews, criticisms, or just wanna leave a nice message!

“Alright, everyone! Are we ready?” Ruby asked, hopping down from her bunk to the floor of team RWBY’s dorm, where they and JNPR had gathered. It was the early afternoon, and their plan would need to begin soon. As part of it, they’d done their best to “disguise” themselves, if only to humor Ruby’s almost childish giddiness at the idea of wearing disguises. Admittedly, Ruby’s outfit wasn’t all that different from her normal one, but the others had really gone all out. “Let’s get this investigation going!” 

“I’m so glad to see we’re taking this seriously,” Weiss jabbed, rolling her eyes with a slight, though noticeable, smirk. 

“There’s no need to take things too seriously just yet, so long as we do when it matters.” The fact that it was Pyrrha who noted this caused several eyes to hone in on her from across the room. “What? I-I may not handle being relaxed well, but I’m positive that taking things less seriously right now will make it easier to find the answers we’re after.”

“Pyrrha’s right!” Ruby interjected, hoping to take the attention off the shy older girl, even if she wasn’t a big fan of the attention being on herself, either. It was a worthy sacrifice to see the small, grateful smile the taller redhead gave her. That was a weird thought. Back to the task at hand, Ruby, don’t focus so much on how nice Pyrrha’s smile looks! “Does everyone remember their roles?” 

“You and I will head to the CCT, where I’ll check Schnee records for any other Dust robberies or inconsistencies.” Weiss noted, smiling a little proudly as she continued. “Seeing as I’m in the family, it shouldn’t be a problem.”

“The White Fang has a meeting this evening, where they’re going to hand out orders and reach out to more Faunus to join them.” Blake explained, probably the only person in her team who was taking this with one hundred percent seriousness, though given that she was at the most risk, Ruby didn’t blame her at all. “If I can get in, I can hopefully find out what they’re planning.”

“We’ll be nearby in case you need to make a quick getaway.” Ren added, Nora giving an overly eager grin as she nodded in agreement. “I’ll make sure we’re quiet, you don’t have to worry about Nora giving us away. Just give us the signal and we’ll make sure you get a distraction so you can escape.”

“I have an old “friend” out in the shady side of the commercial district, kind of guy who tends to be pretty well informed about the going ons about Vale.” Yang cracked her knuckles ominously. “Getting information out of him shouldn’t be  _ too _ hard. Heh.” 

“And  _ we’ll _ be there to make sure things don’t get out of hand with Yang.” Jaune looked to Pyrrha, smiling sheepishly when their eyes met. “And we can make sure to ask Yang’s friend about the Thief and the Butcher, too, just in case he knows anything.”

“Yeah.” Ruby gave a solemn nod at the mention of people who had likely killed Tukson. Taking a deep breath, she pumped her fist to get in the right mindset. “Right! We’ll all meet up tonight where Yang is going, to go over what we find out. Let’s do this! Operation: Snuff the Candle is a go!”

“Yeah!” An unexpected voice agreed, Jaune giving a particularly high pitched shriek as everyone jumped in surprise. Hanging upside down by his tail, Sun Wukong grinned widely as he looked at the startled gathering. 

“Sun!” Blake hissed in frustration, glaring at the Faunus boy, who looked as though he didn’t understand that she was even frustrated. 

“How did you get up there?” Yang gaped at Sun, stepping slightly between him and Blake. 

“Ah, it’s easy!” Sun chuckled, grinning ear to ear. “I do it all the time!”

“Do  _ what _ all the time?” Weiss asked, incensed. Ruby didn’t blame her, it was pretty weird to say that you climb into a girls’ dorm uninvited all the time. 

“I climb trees all the time!” Ruby gave an expression she would consider on par with the severest of Weiss’ deadpans, while the Atlesian scowled at the Faunus boy, who seemed to not have even noticed the perplexed and concerned looks he was getting as he leaped from the window and into the room. “So! We’re finally getting back at the Torchwick guy?”

“Sun!” Ruby pouted in frustration, stepping forward. “I told you yesterday that this was just between team RWBY and JNPR! This could be really dangerous, there are some scary people involved, we don’t want to get any other friends involved if we don’t have to.”

“Psh, what? That’s dumb!” Sun announced, waving a hand dismissively. “You should always get friends involved, that’s why when I noticed you were acting weird about it yesterday I decided to check it out! And I brought Neptune, too!” He gestured towards the window, not even looking back. 

“Sup?” Neptune asked, as everyone tried to peek out the window at the blue-haired teen. 

“How did you even get up here?” Ruby groaned.

“I have my ways.” He replied with a smirk, though as he wobbled on the edge, it quickly faded. “Seriously, though, can I come in? We’re like, really high up right now.” Rolling her eyes, Ruby offered him a hand, Jaune helping hold onto her as she reached out the window for him. 

“Okay, fine, we have two new people. Um.” Ruby looked at the group assembled, with their two new arrivals. “I’m still with Weiss, Sun? You can go with Blake, just in case things go bad before Blake can get out of the meeting. Neptune, I guess you can come with Weiss and I? Unless you think you can handle being stealthy with Ren and Nora.”

“No, I, I think I’ll tag along with you two.” Wait, did he just shoot her and Weiss a  _ wink _ ?! Ugh that was so weird. Weiss looked like she was pondering what to do for a moment before shaking her head. So. Weird. “I’m not really a stealthy kind of guy, you know?” 

“Fine. Whatever.” Ruby took a deep breath, looking at everyone again. “Let’s get this done, everyone! Torchwick won’t know what hit him!”

* * *

“Wow! I forgot how big the Transmit tower looks up close!” Ruby exclaimed, wide-eyed as she looked up at the massive structure at the center of Beacon Academy. She was a few steps ahead of Weiss and Neptune, and had been toning out their weird forced flirting as best she could, but she wasn’t able to stop herself from being giddy about the CCT. Yes, it was part of the Academy, but she’d only been once or twice, and it was  _ so cool _ ! “Weiss! Weiss!! Look how big it is!”

“You should see the one in Atlas.” Weiss replied, turning away from Neptune and towards her partner, offering a warm smile, which Ruby returned. “It looks far more sleek than the one here, though I suppose it lacks the quaint aesthetic that this tower shares with all of Vale.”

“That was the first one, right?” Ruby asked, bouncing up and down in place as she waited for Weiss and Neptune to catch up. “The one in Atlas?”

“Correct.” Weiss smiled proudly at her partner, Ruby certain that the Atlesian was glad she hadn’t forgotten everything from their first semester. “Atlas developed the Cross Continental Transmit System to allow the four kingdoms to communicate with one another. It was their gift to the world after the Great War.”

“The ones in Haven are pretty cool, too, y’know.” Neptune interjected, smirking at the duo. “There’s a pair of them instead of just one, but I guess they aren’t quite as tall.”

“That doesn’t make much sense.” Ruby said, continuing to walk as she turned to the blue-haired teen. “Even if having two would be a good redundancy in case one broke, if they’re short they’d be lacking the range this one has, wouldn’t they?”

“I, uh, don’t know.” Neptune sheepishly chuckled, looking away nervously. 

“Oh well! It doesn’t matter, this place is just so cool!” Ruby exclaimed, bouncing enthusiastically as she grinned at Weiss, who returned a warm smile. Yes! Score! Weiss was warming up to her a bit. She had been really worried that maybe Weiss was unhappy with her as a partner and still wanted to be partnered with Pyrrha after all this time. “I’m gonna take a picture I want to send it to my dad!” Ruby cheerfully announced, taking the scroll from her right pocket a bit too quickly, judging by the few stray petals bleeding off her arm as it slipped from her grip. 

“Oh!” A voice she hadn’t heard in about a month came to her ear, and Ruby looked forward to see familiar face leaning down to grab the scroll, Penny picking it up and holding it out to her. “Excuse me, you dropped this.”

“Penny?!” Ruby squeaked, shocked as she looked at the freckled redhead. “Where have you been? We haven’t seen you since… since that night at the docks! I was so worried!”

“S-Sorry! I think you’re confused!” Penny stuttered out before hiccuping, her cheeks taking on a slightly green hue. Was she sick? Woah, Ruby almost missed her friend tossing back her scroll, she’d been so distracted. “I-I’ve got to go!” 

“What was that about?” Weiss asked, looking rather concerned as Ruby put the scroll in her pocket, giving the Atlesian a rather stern look. 

“I don’t know, but we’re going to find out.” Ruby announced, grabbing Weiss’ wrist before giving her an apologetic look. “I hope you don’t get motion sickness like Jaune.”

“Wait, don’t get motion sickness? Ruby, what are you-” Everything blurred together as Weiss felt a strange sensation lull over her body, as though she was simultaneously herself and not. Suddenly they were moving blindingly fast, weaving in between groups of people between them and Penny. When they came to a stop, Ruby standing in front of the nervous looking redhead, Weiss felt sensation return to herself, and staggered, gasping for air. “D-Did you just… use your semblance…  _ on _ me?”

“Yeah, Weiss, we can talk about it later! This is way more important!” Okay maybe that was a bit harsh but she really didn’t want Penny to run away again. “Penny, where have you been?” The younger girl asked, looking at her friend with concern. “It’s been weeks!” 

“There seems to be… a, um, misunderstanding.” Penny insisted, stepping to the side and continuing to walk, trying not to look the silver-eyed girl in the eye as she asked for clarification. 

“Penny?” Ruby slumped slightly, getting the impression that maybe she wasn’t the friend she’d thought she’d been, when Weiss pushed past her to grab the taller redhead’s wrist. 

“I don’t know what’s going on here, but I do know that you’re Penny, the girl that we met at the docks a month ago, the same girl who helped Ruby fight off the White Fang when they were attacking Blake.” Weiss looked to the nervous redhead, then back to her team leader, smiling slightly. “If something is wrong, you just need to tell us, Penny. We’re friends, right?”

The taller girl’s pupils dilated as she looked at the Atlesian, a slight gasp escaping her lips. “We’re… friends?” A small smile grew on her face, before she looked around cautiously, leaning in to whisper to the duo. “It isn’t safe to talk here. Come with me?” She explained, offering each girl a hand.

Ruby looked confused, but she didn’t want to turn away from a friend in need. Looking at Weiss, who seemed to be thinking the same thing by the serious look on her face, Ruby smiled, turning to Penny as the duo put their hands into Penny’s. “Okay, lead the way.”

A few hundred meters away, Neptune looked around, completely flummoxed when the duo he had been walking with had suddenly disappeared into a cloud of rose petals. Of course this would happen to him, Sun always said he had the worst luck, but that wasn’t going to stop him from continuing to try. Slicking back his hair with a sigh, he reached into his pocket and grabbed his scroll. “Hey Sun,” he said, not even hiding the disappointment in his voice. “Yeah, they ditched me. Stop laughing! Any idea where I should head now?”

* * *

"I guess go meet up with Scarlet and Sage. They're probably wondering what to do right now, anyways." Blake was looking out the window of the cramped cab she and Sun were forced to ride towards the Faunus district, trying to be as unsociable as possible. Unfortunately, that was hard to do with Sun Wukong. "Welp, looks like Neptune has been left behind!" He announced, looking over towards Blake. "Apparently Ruby and Weiss ran into a girl named Penny, and went after her?"

"What?" That wasn't good. They were already deviating from the plan. Then again, Penny was able to take down two bullheads on her own, as well as taking care of most of the White Fang they'd encountered on the docks. "I didn't expect Ruby to move away from the plan so soon. I mean I expected slight changes but this is a bit more than expected."

"Penny was that cool girl from the docks? Awesome!" Blake glared at Sun, concealed ears pressed against her head at the loud display of enthusiasm. "Oh, right. Sorry! It's just good news, right? If anything goes wrong, she could be some serious backup!"

"Sun, you do realize we aren't looking for a fight, right?" Blake rolled her eyes at the ineffectual pout the monkey Faunus gave her. "Look, we're after information so that we can stop Torchwick. We aren't planning on stopping him tonight."

"Aww, you're no fun. Torchwick is a menace and he needs to he brought down. Besides, knowing our luck, we'll definitely get into a fight." At that, Blake's gaze went outright hostile, the brunette turning away from Sun to glare out the window again. "What? You know I'm right, we had the worst luck at the docks! If we hadn't been helped out by Ruby and that girl they just ran into again, we'd have been toast."

"Sun, did it ever occur to you that maybe there's a _ reason  _ why you weren't invited?" Blake felt a bit bad at the way his shoulders slumped at her outburst, frowning as she tried to calm down. "If it weren't for my mistake, I wouldn't even be trying to bring  _ my  _ team, let alone JNPR. I'm the reason they're all mixed up in this, I don't want to put anyone else at risk."

"Blake… you aren't putting us at risk. All of us knew the risks as Huntsmen, and that's what they are now." Sun smiled, reaching out to give Blake a comforting squeeze on the shoulder, only for his expression to immediately sink as she pulled away, glaring at him. "Blake, come on. We all knew what we were getting into."

"Don't say that to me when you're not the one hearing Ruby cry every night after she falls asleep! When you aren't the one comforting her because she keeps seeing blood when it isn't there!" Blake shouted, ears raised sharply as she leered at the monkey Faunus, who seemed to shrink in his seat. Rage slowly faded to guilt, and she hugged herself tightly. "I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't raise my voice I just… it's my fault. If it wasn't for me she wouldn't be suffering like this."

"Hey, you don't have to apologize." Eyes widening, Blake was confused to not hear how  _ grateful _ he was she had apologized, the thought of Adam fading as she looked at the sheepish Sun Wukong. "I know I can be… hardheaded. And I tend to act before thinking it through. I heard Ruby try to dissuade me from tagging along and immediately thought "well now I definitely want to," instead of thinking about why she might not want me to help."

"Sun, I-"

"Hey. What did I just say, you don't have to apologize." As if to emphasize this, Sun flicked Blake playfully in the forehead, the Faunus girl hissing at him slightly. "Look, I don't really know what happened, but I'd like to think I got to know you pretty well that weekend you were on the run, and I'm sure that you wouldn't have put Ruby or anyone else into danger willingly, so don't be so quite to blame yourself. And if you need to talk, we're still in this cab for another thirty minutes, at least."

"Look, Sun, it's not that I don't appreciate the offer, it's just… it's hard to talk about." Blake looked to the floor of the cab, sighly sadly.

"Hey, I might not have four ears but I'll let you know that I'm a really good listener!" At the grumbling leer Blake shot his way, Sun just grinned wider. "Come on, I know I might come across as a bit of a goofball but I'm here if you need to vent. Who knows, I might even be able to offer some Vacuan insight!"

"Sun…" Blake sighed, shaking her head. "Look, I can give you an outline, but no asking questions while I talk, deal?"

"Deal." Sun reached out a hand, Blake shaking it. "So what happened? Did you guys get into another fight with the White Fang?" 

" _ Sun _ ." The monkey Faunus clamped his mouth shut as Blake sent another withering glare his way. Taking a deep breath, the feline Faunus shut her eyes. "Do you remember the bookstore we passed? The one I wanted to go to but you were in too much or a hurry to stop in? Something about books being for nerds?" At his nodded confirmation, she continued. "That was run by a Faunus named Tukson, he was… an uncle, of sorts, when I was younger. And when I ran away from the White Fang,"  _ from Adam _ , "he helped me get off my feet and into Beacon."

Blake continued to explain what had happened a week ago, the joyful expression of curiosity on Sun's face slowly sinking into sadness.

* * *

"So, do you like my sister?"

Ah, yes, nothing like a sledgehammer to break the ice, at least if anyone asked Yang Xiao Long. Watching Jaune and Pyrrha sputter about at the question, the blonde brawler grinned wickedly. She hadn't thought anyone could perform a spit take without drinking, but Vomit Boy almost proved her wrong. And the way that Cereal Girl almost leapt from her seat in the fancy cab she'd nabbed the group? Classic.

"Um, well, it's- you see!" "Well, I mean, I certainly wouldn't-"

"Hold up, one at a time." Yang grinned, watching the partners stumble over each other's words. "Pyrrha!" She exclaimed, pointing an accusatory finger towards the champion, who jumped again in her seat, cheeks still a hue of crimson befitting her hair. "What do you think about my sister?"

"Um, w-well." Pyrrha dipped her head in embarrassment, smiling sheepishly as she accepted that she probably wasn't going to be getting out of this. She'd been wrestling with this for a few weeks, she might as well get it out now. "I think that Ruby is very beautiful, both inside and out. She's sweet, caring, and always happy to be with a friend. I… I would say yes." The redhead's voice seemed to raise with her confidence. "Yes, I like Ruby Rose!"

"Good." Turning a playfully inquisitive gaze towards Jaune, Yang grinned wickedly once more. "Tell me, Vomit Boy, what are your thoughts towards my sweet, innocent little sister."

"W-what?! I-I, well, um," Jaune gaped wide-eyed at Yang in terror, feeling like he was staring straight into the gullet of a hungry lion. Oh, gosh, there was no getting out of this, was there? Sinking in his seat, Jaune slumped forward, looking towards the car's floor. "Yeah. I like Ruby, I like her a lot. Getting to spend time relaxing with her and feeding the chickens at Beacon was probably one of the only things that got me through my early stay at the academy. She's one of my best friends, and I can't imagine- I-I just really like her, okay?"

"Well… okay." Yang leaned back in her seat across from them, smirking. That look of shock as they realized she wasn't immediately threatening to break their legs was almost as good as the earlier shock. "Now, then. Important follow up: what do you think about each other?"

"Each… other?"

It was Pyrrha who spoke first, but as soon as realization dawned across the duo's faces, they shot apart, sitting on opposite ends of the sofa-like seat, cheeks back to a brilliant scarlet. "Wait a sec, let's go with Jaune first this time." Yang advised, her playful grin suddenly a lot less sinister.

"Um." Damn it was hard to make eye contact with Pyrrha now, his cheeks still warm from what he knew to be a blush. Jaune took a deep breath, thinking about his partner, about how she'd come and chosen  _ him _ out of all the students at Beacon, how she'd saved him time and time again, put up with his admittedly bullshit masculinity time and time again. She'd never stopped trying to help him, even when he was at his lowest. "A hero. In a word… Pyrrha is a hero to me. She's beautiful, strong, maybe lacking a bit in confidence off the battlefield, but hey, I'm sure I could use some work on that myself." Jaune chuckled, looking up at the blushing redhead a little more confidently now. "Pyrrha is everything I want to be as a Huntsman, but she's so much more than that. She's kind, she's caring, and I know she'd never judge me, even if she's not afraid to call out my mistakes. I'm proud to have her as a partner, as a friend… and maybe more than that."

"Thank you." Pyrrha sniffled, wiping away a few happy tears, knowing that if she hesitated Yang would turn to her next. "Jaune… Jaune is wonderful. He might be lacking behind academically, but it's not because he lacks intelligence. He's brave, though, so much braver than myself. The first thing I heard him say was "now where can I find another nice, quirky girl to talk to?" He- he had walked into the auditorium with Ruby, and you called her away. All I could think is that I wish someone would say the same kind of thing about me." At Yang's slightly perplexed look, she elaborated. "You have to understand, someone of my… position… most people stop looking at me as a person, and start to see me as an object. My mothers were probably the two only people I could be myself around before I came to Beacon, and even here, my reputation proceeded me."

"But I didn't know who you were." Understanding dawned across Jaune's face, followed by a bit of worry. "Th-that's not the only reason why you like me, though, right?"

"Of course not!" Pyrrha exclaimed, waving her hands desperately in front of her to reject the notion. "No. I… I chose you as my partner because you didn't know who I was, and it looked like you needed help. Don't give me that look, Jaune, you did! No, it was only after we had been partners for a while that I really started to feel this way, but things only really became clear after that mess in the Forever Fall. You chose to protect Cardin despite everything that he had done, and showed that you were so much more than the mess of toxic ideas that ran through his head and, at the time, I feared, yours." Scooting over, Pyrrha placed her hand atop Jaune's, smiling as he looked into her eyes. "You're kind, Jaune. You're kind, and a bit of a dork, but you saw me for me, just like Ruby did. You're an amazing person, and I'm positive you're going to be a great Huntsman. I'm proud to call you my partner, and even prouder to call you my friend. I would love to call you something more than that, but I can't forget Ruby, either. She's just as important."

"I-I understand, I-I feel the same, I think." Jaune said, feeling a little nervous to admit it. "Ruby is… I'd like her to be more than just a friend, too."

"So why not both?" The duo blinked in surprise at Yang's suggestion, the brawler giving them an almost disappointed look. "Pyrrha, I know you talked to Ruby about… Polyamorous relationships. You put it in her head about our parents and I had to fight her to keep her from asking dad about if our parents were in one." Turning to look out the cab's window, she sighed. "Truth is, I just don't want to tell her that they were. Our family… it's messed up enough without Ruby having to know that one of her moms ran out on her before she was even born. I… I don't remember much of my birth mother, I was barely two when she left, but I remember her and mom. How happy they were."

"Yang…"

"Just… just shut up and listen, Jaune." Yang snapped, eyes flickering before settling back on violet. "My mom? She  _ left _ us.  _ Left me. _ And… and if Ruby's going to leave me, too, then I want to make sure that the people she chooses aren't going to leave her, either." 

"Yang, we would never." Pyrrha said softly, offering a sympathetic smile. "Ruby… Ruby brought us together, in a way. I know Jaune and I would never abandon her."

"I… thanks." Yang let out a long sigh, massaging her temples. "I told… someone important suggested that I should let Ruby have a little more control in her life, so I'm going to do that. Just… let her know soon, please."

"We will, Yang." Jaune agreed, offering a nervous smile. "Once we figure out exactly how."

"Good." As if on queue, the cab pulled to a halt, Yang stepped out of the car and looked at the nightclub before them. Two men black suits and red sunglasses standing at the door gave each other rather panicked looks, the blonde brawler grinning. "Let's go say hello."


	9. Operation: Snuff the Candle 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Secrets are revealed, a deal is made, and all hell breaks loose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woooo! Writing this has been a lot of fun! Got to have an interaction I really hadn't touched up on yet that I was looking forward to! 
> 
> Please comment if you have any feedback, reviews, criticisms, or just wanna leave a nice message!

Things were not going according to plan. That said, at the very least, Weiss getting information on Dust thefts from the SDC was really something she could do at any time, so Ruby didn’t consider it a particularly big deviation from the plan. Helping Penny with whatever had her so on edge was way more important than that. “Do you think she’ll be much longer?” Ruby looked to her partner, who was trying to keep from making eye contact with passerbys, more than one having stopped to ask for an autograph, only to be sent away with a withering glare worthy of Professor Goodwitch. Really, Weiss was way too good at those. “I really don’t want to see if we’re going to get swarmed by paparazzi.”

“It’ll be fine, Weiss,” Ruby gave her partner an affectionate squeeze of the hand. She couldn’t imagine how stressful this must be for the Atlesian, even if Weiss was good at keeping that stuff pretty deeply repressed like Pyrrha. After what happened when Yang took that photo of her with Pyrrha and Jaune, when the older girl had gotten so scared, Ruby found herself disliking the concept of paparazzi a lot, and just the buzz around celebrities in general. She’d never followed that kind of stuff before, but it seemed like it was really making her friends’ lives difficult, and she hated that. “I’ll keep anyone with cameras away.”

“It’s not that simple, Ruby.” Oh. A small frown crossed the redhead’s face, but she quickly pushed it away to offer her partner a reassuring smile. “The kind of people that take photos… sometimes they do it from far away, and it’s almost never with consent.”

“Oh, that’s… that’s not okay.” Ruby said quietly, looking to the ground with a frown. That didn’t sound right at all. She knew it was bad from what Pyrrha had told her, but that just sounded like glorified stalking, and that wasn’t okay at all. “Well, I’ll do my best to protect you from it, okay?”

“I don’t need protecting, Ruby, I can protect myself.” Weiss retorted, nose in the air as she raised her head pridefully. Soon enough, though, she lowered herself back to the redhead’s level and gave a sheepish smile. “I am grateful, though, that you’re concerned.”

“Of course I am!” Ruby exclaimed, as if offended by the very notion that she wouldn’t be. “After all that Pyrrha has talked about, I don’t think I could justify not wanting to help!” Oh, that was strange. As soon as she mentioned Pyrrha, Weiss’s expression fell again. Did she really wish she was partnered with Pyrrha that much? No, she was sick of just letting that fear linger. “Weiss?”

“Yes?”

“D-Do you not like being my partner?” Ruby could barely get the words out of her mouth as more than a whisper, her stomach feeling as though it had twisted into a knot. Looking up at the shocked expression on the older girl’s face, she tried desperately to explain herself. “I-I just… I know you wanted to be partners with Pyrrha and whenever I mention her you look so unhappy and I just wish I knew what I could do to be better I really like having you as a partner, you’re like a sister who won’t tease me like Yang does and I really appreciate all the help you give me with studying I know that I don’t know a lot it’s really hard being two years behind and-”

Ruby let out a soft whimper as the older girl brought her in for a hug, pulling back to smile at the redhead, before letting out a tired sigh. “Ruby… I’m sorry if I’ve been jealous of you when you talk about Pyrrha, but I never hated having you as a partner. Well, maybe that’s not true, I was pretty awful those first few weeks, but I digress. You’re a wonderful partner, and I think that I see you as a sister as well. It’s nice to feel like I have a younger sibling who _won’t_ stab me in the back.” 

“Y-You have a younger sister?” Ruby asked, rubbing her eyes of a few errant tears as the hug ended. 

“Brother, actually.” Weiss explained, leading her team leader to a nearby bench while they waited on Penny to return from… wherever she’d gone. “Whitley. I’d like to say we were close, once, but I honestly don’t know that I would be honest if I did. While I looked up to my older sister Winter, and to my Grandfather, Whitley always looked up to our father.”

“Your father?” Ruby frowned, furrowing her brow. Weiss didn’t talk about home a lot, but what little she had revealed had given the younger girl a very bad impression of Jacques Schnee, and that was kind of a shame. Like, it was expected that she’d have a bad impression from the bad stuff he did to Faunus, but the fact that even his own daughter seemed to dislike him? That was awful, it really spoke to how bad a person he was, if anyone asked Ruby. “I don’t like your father.”

“I don’t like him, either.” Weiss sighed, shaking her head. “Everything he’s done… there’s a reason that the White Fang targets my family… targets _me_. And that reason is him. He’s positioned himself as the primary employer of Faunus in Mantle, and Atlas overall, but he’s done so through running out other businesses, so that Faunus are forced to work in our mines. It’s… it’s reprehensible.”

“Hey, that’s why you want to take over the company, though, right?” Ruby looked up at her partner, offering an encouraging smile. “You want to change that. I think that’s a really admirable goal.”

“Yeah, it is.” Weiss nodded, a soft smile on her lips. “There’s a lot of work to do to restore my family’s name, and making reparations to the Faunus is one of those things, probably the most important. But it’ll be worth it, even if I have to fight and claw my way to making it happen.”

“You’ll be able to do it, I’m sure.” Ruby grinned brightly at her partner, “and team RWBY will be with you every step of the way!”

“I… thank you, Ruby.” Weiss’s voice was gentle, but the younger girl could hear the genuine happiness in it nonetheless. The two remained chatting for a few more minutes before the absent redhead they were awaiting returned, Weiss being the first to spot her. “Penny! There you are, we were worried.”

“Oh! You don’t need to worry, Weiss. I can handle myself.” Ruby couldn’t help but agree with the doubtful look Weiss was giving the taller girl. “Thank you for waiting for me! I needed to, um… use the restroom!” She hiccuped, Ruby curious about the strange green tint her cheeks took.

“For thirty minutes?” Weiss groaned in exasperation, eyes squinting in suspicion at the taller girl. 

“Yes!” Another hiccup.

“Very well,” Weiss shook her head, sighing. “Penny, is it safe to talk now? About whatever is wrong?”

"Um," the nervous redhead looked around cautiously, before nodding. "Let's talk while we walk? Walk while we talk!"

“Okay?” Ruby tentatively agreed, standing up and looking at Weiss, who gave her an uncertain shrug. “Um, the first question would be, um, what happened after the docks? You disappeared! We were really worried that you might’ve gotten hurt!”

“Hurt? No! Nothing like that.” Penny gave an awkward smile, head tilting slightly to the side. 

“Then where exactly did you go?” Weiss inquired, but not in a particularly hostile tone, instead sounding genuinely curious. “Ruby was worried sick, looking all over the docks even though she was hurt.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I never meant to worry you.” Penny apologized, frowning slightly. “It’s just… I’ve never been to another kingdom before. My father asked me not to venture out too far, but…” The taller redhead looked to the ground somewhat dejectedly, a halfhearted smile on her face. “You have to understand, my father loves me very much, he just worries. A lot.”

“I can understand that, believe me.” Weiss sighed. “You’re lucky you managed to slip away at all, but that’s why you’ve been so jumpy, isn’t it?” The freckled girl nodded sheepishly. “I was the same way, when I was younger. I ran away when we were visiting a mall, I wanted to shop somewhere outside my father’s designated purview. I was caught, of course, and… disciplined.” Ruby grabbed her partner’s hand, offering a reassuring squeeze. She had never gotten the impression that Jacques Schnee had physically hurt Weiss, but she knew that there were different kinds of hurt, and Weiss had definitely experienced more than anyone should have to. “Is your father why you couldn’t let us know you were okay?”

“It’s… not exactly.” Penny ducked her head in shame, cheeks again taking on an odd verdant hue that caught Ruby’s eyes. Maybe it was part of her semblance? “I was asked, no, instructed not to talk to you. To any of you. Anyone at all, really.”

“Was you dad really that upset?” Ruby piped up, leaning forward a little as she looked at the taller girl curiously. “I mean, I can understand getting grounded, my dad has grounded me before, but that sounds like it’s a bit above and beyond.”

“No, it wasn’t my father.” Penny shook her head, Ruby pursing her lips in confusion, before her attention was drawn away from her friends and towards the nearby square, where a hologram of General Ironwood was revealing the newest line of Atlesian Knight. Weiss caught Penny’s apprehension, though, and quickly moved to act, grabbing Ruby and Penny by the wrists, dragging them out of view of the Atlesian soldiers at the demonstration, much to her partner’s indignant whines. “Thank you, Weiss.”

“It’s not a problem, Penny,” the white haired girl gave a happy smile to the freckled redhead, who returned a sheepish one of her own. “I’m going to make an educated guess and say that you were ordered not to talk to us by your headmaster?” 

“Ah, well…” Penny ducked her head shamefully, only for Weiss to pull her face up with a hand beneath her chin, offering the taller girl a reassuring smile. “It’s complicated. I’m… I was… I have to make sure to be careful. Weiss, Ruby, you’re my friends, right? Can you keep a secret? Even from your other teammates?”

“Of course, Penny,” Ruby agreed immediately. “We’re your friends, we aren’t going to betray your trust.”

Leading the duo into a concealed alley, of which Vale seemed to have many, Penny looked around cautiously, a bit of a habit from the looks of it, before bringing out one of the blades from her weapon, eliciting a startled shriek from the two as she cut across her wrist. Ruby and Weiss stared wide-eyed as the nervous girl held up her hand, which had a suspicious lack of blood. “It’s okay, see?” She said softly, holding her hand a little forward so they could see the metal interior. “I’m… not a real girl, like you two. I wasn’t born, I was made. The world’s first synthetic person capable of generating an Aura.” Looking down, sure that her new friends would be disgusted in her, Penny clenched her hands tightly to her sides. “I’m not real.”

“Of course you are!” Ruby insisted, taking the freckled girl’s hands into her own, grinning widely as Penny looked up in surprise. “You think just because you’ve got nuts and bolts instead of squishy guts, that makes you any less real than Weiss or I?”

“I, um, well…”

“Penny,” Weiss put her hand on the taller girl’s shoulder, squeezing gently as she offered a smile. “Just because you didn’t have a natural birth, doesn’t mean you aren’t a person. Does your father love you?” The meek redhead nodded her head slowly. “I’m glad. My father doesn’t love me, not really, but that doesn’t mean I’m less of a person than you. What matters is in here.” Weiss tapped the girl’s chest, right above where her heart would be. “You may not have a human heart beating in your chest, Penny, but you do have a soul, without question. That means you are a person, just like any human or Faunus.”

“I… you are taking this remarkably well. Both of you.” Penny blinked, looking between the duo. Smiling sheepishly, the freckled girl ducked her head. “Thank you for being my friend… both of you.”

“I’m glad that you’re my friend as well.” Ruby was surprised that Weiss had said it first, but quickly gave an affirmative nod, to make sure Penny didn’t think she was hesitating at all. “Can you tell me about your father at all?”

“Oh, of course!” Penny looked positively elated to be asked. “My father is Pietro Polendina, Atlas’ lead scientist in aura-reactive prosthetics! In a way, I’m a big prosthetic, just for a whole body, instead of a missing limb.”

“Wow! That sounds really cool!” Ruby interjected, stars in her eyes. “I think I’ve read a paper written by him, once! Back when I was still at Signal, it was really interesting!”

“Why were you reading papers on aura-reactive prosthetics?” Weiss scoffed, giving her partner a playfully dubious look. 

“Well, I was trying to figure out if I could incorporate an aura-reactive module in Crescent Rose, but I could never get it quite right.” Ruby sheepishly admitted. “Maybe I could pull it off with a smaller weapon, but not with Crescent.”

“I’m glad to hear you enjoyed my father’s work, Ruby!” Penny gleefully chirped, cheeks a vibrant green. “I’m sure General Ironwood would agree with you that they’re really interesting. He’s the one who my father worked with to make me!”

“But why would the General need something like you?” Weiss asked aloud, before frantically waving her hands as she clarified: “not that you aren’t wonderful, Penny, you are! I’m just curious why General Ironwood would need you, as opposed to the Atlesian Knights that he’s championed so much.”

“I’m… not sure.” Penny admitted, diverting her gaze to the ground. If robots could take deep breaths, Ruby was sure she would have. “One day… It will be _my_ job to save the world, but I still have a lot left to learn. That’s why my father agreed when General Ironwood asked if I would come to the Vytal Festival.” Looking up at the duo with a determined glint to her eye, Penny smiled. “But that’s not only it… I want to see what it’s like in the rest of the world, and test myself in the tournament.”

“Save the world?” Ruby was of course alarmed, the idea that the world needed _saving_ implied there was something it needed to be saved _from_. “Penny, what are you talking about? We’re in a time of peace…” 

“That’s not what General Ironwood said…” Penny noted, frowning, before a loud vibrating noise interrupted their conversation. Squeaking, the taller girl grabbed the scroll from her back pocket, tapping it, her eyes briefly lighting up as she connected. “Oh! Hello, sir! Did you need something?” Ruby and Weiss gave each other a concerned look. “Of course, I understand! I’m on my way!”

“What was that about?” Ruby asked, looking a bit curious. 

“The General was… less than pleased to know that I walked away from my attache, and has requested I return to Beacon Academy.” She offered her friends a warm smile. “I’ll be okay, really! Thank you for, well, everything.”

“We’ll see you later?” Weiss asked, returning the smile with one of her own.

“I’m not sure, but I’ll try! Maybe the General can be convinced to let me socialize a bit more.” Looking around, Penny smiled sheepishly again. “I should really go, before he has more soldiers looking for me. Farewell!” 

“Well, that was… a lot to take in.” Weiss noted as they watched the taller girl depart, a small sigh escaping her lips. 

“You’re telling me.” Ruby agreed, chuckling a little, before her scroll vibrated, and she pulled it out to check on what was happening. “Okay, looks like the White Fang meeting is soon, so we should head over to where Yang is. We can go to the CCT tomorrow to check for records, okay?”

“Of course, Ruby, that’s quite agreeable.” Ruby snickered at the somewhat formal response, earning herself a glare from the Atlesian. “Don’t giggle like that, you dolt. Now come on, let’s grab a cab or something. I’m not interested in trying that semblance of yours again today.” Ruby pouted in disdain at the dismissal of her semblance, but couldn’t keep herself from grinning afterwards. If today was productive for anything at all, it would at least be productive for clearing things up with Weiss.

That much was certainly worth it.

* * *

“So, um, Yang… Where exactly is… here?” Jaune asked nervously as he and Pyrrha trailed a few feet behind the blonde brawler. They were in what the boy could only describe as the “seedier” parts of Vale, though that wasn’t really much considering there were numerous places of that sort in the massive city. 

“This?” There was a giddiness in Yang’s voice that Jaune found familiar to Ruby’s, when the younger girl was particularly excited, not necessarily a surprise, given they were sisters, and the older girl had done a decent amount of parenting for the younger. “This place has many names: “The Club;” “Just Right;” “Junior’s Den;” “The Three Bears.” None of those matter. What matters… is _who_ is here.” 

Pyrrha looked a little concerned as the men at the door frantically entered, shutting it behind them, the click of a lock unquestionable. “They look… tense.” She commented, before jumping slightly at the sound of Ember Celica being deployed, the shotgun gauntlets covering the blonde girl’s hands as she reeled back for a punch, which was followed by a loud explosion as she fired one of the microrockets from her weapon. The doors to the club were thrown asunder, sending the two entry guards scrambling backwards. 

Click. Click click click click. The sound of gun after gun being readied, aimed at Yang, was more than a little disconcerting, Jaune stepping in front of Pyrrha slightly, not that she really needed the help. Why Yang just had a confident grin on her face, he wished he knew, but at the same time, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to handle whatever reason behind it there was. “Guess who’s back!” The blonde brawler announced gleefully, Jaune wide-eyed as he stared at her. Was it like she _wanted_ to fight? Honestly that wouldn’t surprise him.

“Yang, do you mind defining what you mean by friend, exactly?” Pyrrha asked, peeking out from behind her and into the club. She’d never actually been to a place like this, and if they weren’t in the middle of a Vacuan standoff, she’d probably have been thrilled. It was taking all of Pyrrha’s self control to not release a brief ripple of her semblance, if only to disable the meager guns aimed at them. 

“Oh, you know, Pyrrha.” Yang shrugged, grinning as the click of her weapon loading another rocket sounded out. “Someone who would rather not have me kick his ass.” That did not sound like a friend if you asked Pyrrha. Quite frankly, that sounded maybe a step away from an enemy, _at best_. 

“Stop! Stop! Nobody shoot” A voice rang out through the club, the similarly dressed guards all reluctantly lowering their weapons a little, and middle aged man stepping through the crowd while adjusting his tie. “Blondie! You’re here… with friends. _Why_?”

“ _You_ still owe me a drink.” Yang announced, grabbing the man, Pyrrha assumed to the eponymous Junior, pulling him by the arm to the bar, Jaune and the redhead following sheepishly behind. She could tell they were being trailed by the twins that she’d spotted approaching, but they weren’t overtly aggressive, so she wasn’t concerned yet. Still, it was a good thing she’d brought Miló and Akoúo̱, just in case things did break into a brawl. Slamming the man against the bar counter rather roughly, Yang leaned against the counter beside him. “I want you to tell me about Roman Torchwick.”

“Torchwick? _That_ bastard? I don’t know what you want me to tell you, Blondie, I haven’t dealt with him in months.” Junior said, massaging his arm where Yang had rather roughly handled him. “Word is, he’s been making some big moves, that’s why he hired my boys back in February.”

“Yeah, and that’s why I knew I ought to come here to ask!” Yang slammed her hand on the counter, the man looking more than a little worried that she might break the bar. Again. “I saw him here back when I was asking for information on R- on that woman, so I know you’ve dealt with him. What has he been up to with the White Fang, damnit!” 

“I don’t know!” Junior exclaimed, sighing loudly as Yang asked how he couldn’t. “I haven’t talked to him! I haven’t even _seen_ that bastard since the night you first came in here. He paid up front, I lent him five of my guys, and they didn’t make it back to me. Got caught up by some rookie Huntress busting a robbery.” The man shook his head. “Idiots.”

“Wait, they were caught up in a robbery that a rookie Huntress busted?” Jaune piped up, having taken a seat at the bar, Pyrrha beside him. “Uh, none of you happened to get a description on that Huntress, did you?” At Junior’s shaken head, he breathed a sigh of relief. “Okay, good. I, uh, I mean, that’s too bad!”

“Uh huh.” Junior looked rather exasperated as he turned to Yang. “Who is this guy?”

“Don’t worry about him right now, Junior,” Yang warned, cracking her knuckles. “Worry about me if I don’t find out what I need.”

“Look, Blondie! I already told you everything. Torchwick hired my boys, I guess he wasn’t happy with them.” Looking around his club at the rather ineffective goons who still seemed a bit cowed by Yang’s presence, he raised his voice. “That’s something I find _quite relatable lately_!”

“Ugh, fine!” Yang announced, throwing her hands in the air, as Junior began to walk away. “Let’s get out of her, guys.”

“Not so fast, Yang.” Pyrrha’s voice cut across the bar, as the champion stood. “Tell me, Junior, what kind of information will this get me?” She asked, placing a 50000 Lien card on the bar. Yang stared wide-eyed, as did Jaune, but neither could really stop her from offering up the money. 

“Well,” turning around with a rather pleased smile, Junior approached the bar again, looking at the card, then up at Pyrrha. “That depends on what you want to know.”

“Tell me about The Thief and the Butcher.” As Junior reached out for the lien, Pyrrha subtly tapped her semblance, drifting it away from him. “Only if your information is credible.”

“Tch.” The man clicked his tongue in frustration, walking to the other side of the bar. “Not much word on the street about them, not even sure if they’re one person or two. All I can give you is, their style seems to be a match of an assassin who used to be active until about a year ago. Black or something.” Pyrrha sent the card to the man, giving him a polite smile. “Good doing business with you.”

“Right,” Pyrrha looked to Yang and Jaune. “We needed to wait for the others, right?” 

* * *

“I still can’t believe they just killed him like that!” Sun exclaimed, only for Blake to send a severe “shh!” his way, the monkey Faunus chuckling nervously and scratching at the back of his head. Right, they were trying to be stealthy. “It’s just… they claim to be protecting Faunus and yet they do that kind of stuff, it doesn’t make any sense, does it, Blake?” Oop. Blake wasn’t even paying attention to him, now. 

“This is it.” She said, brushing her fingers against three scratch marks on the stone wall, as though someone clawed had scraped against it faintly. 

“Are you sure?” Blake sent him a withering stare, which he at least had the decency to be briefly silenced by, as she started in the direction of the meeting, removing her ribbon. “Guess I’ll take your word for it.” Turning around, he sent a two-fingered salute to Ren, who remained just on the edge of his view, before going to catch up with Blake. The duo were handed small white masks in the style of Grimm, Blake taking hers silently, though he was a little more uncomfortable with it than she seemed to be. “I don’t get it. If you believe what you’re doing is right, why hide who you are?”

“The masks are a symbol.” Blake explained, brushing a finger against hers for a moment, before slipping it on. “Humanity wanted to make monsters out of us, so we chose to don the faces of monsters.”

“Grimm masks…” Sun reluctantly put his on, a frown across his face. “That’s kind of dark.”

“So was the guy who started it.” Blake commented, taking the lead as they entered the large crowd of Faunus recruits at the rally. 

Ren watched silently as the two disappeared from view, before making his way to the top of the building across from the warehouse, where he and Nora were now camped out. “Ren?” Magenta eyes looked up towards his… friend, a brow rising in curiosity. “Do you think they’ll be okay?”

“Yes, Nora.” He said softly, sitting beside her as she polished Magnhild. 

“It’s just… this is really dangerous, isn’t it?” Nora asked, not daring to look her companion in the eye as she spoke, instead focusing on the task at hand. “Like… they’re in there with a lot of people who they might have to fight against. They could get hurt.”

“They could.” The Mistralan boy noted, taking the opportunity to take the weapons from their place concealed in his sleeves, putting them in front of him as he checked to make sure he had enough ammunition, just in case. 

“I… I don’t like that.” Nora’s voice was barely above a whisper, the dark haired boy putting a hand on her shoulder as his semblance overtook them both, her breathing settling. “I’m sorry,” she said softly. “I know I should try to be calm, it’s just… it’s hard, when our friends might get hurt.” 

“We won’t let them.” Ren insisted, perhaps more to himself than to her, as he placed the Electric Dust magazines in StormFlower. “That’s why we’re here.”

“You’re right,” Nora looked up, offering her friend of so many years a heartfelt smile, wrapping an arm around him and pulling him into an unwilling hug, though he did little to resist at all. “We’re not going to let them down! We’ll do whatever we need to keep them safe.” 

“That’s right, Nora.” Ren offered a small smile of his own, never much of one for showing emotion. Still, having her with him did help a little, after going through so much together. They remained silent for a few minutes, before the muffled sound of a gunshot drew Ren’s attention, the teen sitting slightly straighter and grabbing his weapons. “It’s time.” That wasn’t the exact signal they had planned, but he understood sometimes plans don’t always survive their implementation in perfect condition. The window of the warehouse Blake and Sun had entered shattered, the duo leaping out, and Nora let out a hearty laugh as she fired a grenade from Magnhild into the building’s roof, a brilliant pink explosion shaking the building.

Then the front of the warehouse was torn down by a machine neither of them recognized. Looking to his partner, Ren nodded, leaping from the roof towards the next in their comrades’ path, as their scrolls began to ring. 

“Everyone! If you can hear me, we need back-”

“Heeeeeeelp!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oop forgot to add, there's a cover for the story now, it's in Chapter one if you're interested! The artist is Bmblbeaky on Tumblr


	10. Operation: Snuff the Candle 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone converges Roman Torchwick seeks to capture Blake in thanks for ruining his little demonstration, and the battle is on!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Combat is such a challenge for me to write, I just don't have a lot of experience, but I hope everyone enjoyed it! If you can provide feedback, this is probably what I want to improve on the most, so any at all is welcome!
> 
> As always, please comment if you have any feedback, reviews, criticisms, or just wanna leave a nice message!

“Oh, this is bad, this is _really_ bad!” Sun ducked as a hail of bullets tore the cement wall just past him into pieces, tightly gripping Blake’s scroll as he rolled to the side and began spinning Ruyi Bang and Jingu Bang in a circle to block even more oncoming fire. “Big robot! And it’s big! Really big!” 

“Sun!” Blake hissed as she wrapped Gambol Shroud’s ribbon around his waist, pulling tightly to bring him out of the path of the Paladin’s fist. “Just drop my scroll and focus! The others are on the way, we aren’t too far from Yang!”

“If you say so!” He sheepishly let go of Blake’s scroll, letting it hit the ground as he flipped backwards to avoid another onslaught of machine gun fire. “What should we do, this is like, _way_ above our paygrade!” A large, vibrantly pink explosion forced the machine to lurch forward, drawing its attention away as it turned to fire on Nora, who was grinning at it wildly. “Right, think Sun! You’re a leader, you can lead. Uh, we need to keep this thing off the street as best we can! We can’t risk it harming random people!”

“A good assessment,” a neutral voice agreed, as Ren dashed towards the Paladin while it was distracted by Nora, another pink blast shaking the machine. The Mistralan teen didn’t wait for Sun to respond, sliding on the ground and firing a burst from each of StormFlower’s guns. “Nora,” his best friend looked to him, and he offered a rare smile once more. “Break his legs.”

“I can do _that_!” The redhead grinned gleefully, charging forward and slamming Magnhild against the Paladin’s leg. The machine lurched again, almost losing its footing, but stood fast nonetheless, a somewhat irritated laughter spitting from its speakers. 

“Great try, kids, but these aren’t any ordinary Atlesian toy, they aren’t going to go down in a single hit.” Blake frowned at the almost teasing tone Torchwick’s voice took, grip tightening on Gambol Shroud as she ran in for another strike, only to find her world spinning as the Paladin spun around and slammed its fist straight into her. “Oops! Sorry about that, Kitty cat!” The Faunus groaned, teeth clenched in pain as Sun slammed his hands together, two transparent golden images of the boy springing up beside him, one running into the Paladin, exploding as it jumped into the cockpit, while the other scooped Blake up and carried her behind what remained of the wall the machine had torn to shreds earlier. 

“Take a moment to rest.” The calm voice of Ren warned, the cat Faunus finding him standing over her with a hint of concern in his ever serene expression. “You took a big hit, let the rest of us distract him while we await the rest of our teams.”

“Fine.” She reluctantly agreed, resting her back against the wall. That damn machine could pack a punch, and the idea that the Fang might have even more of them terrified her. Torchwick said they had managed to “snag a few” but she wasn’t sure how many that might mean. Ren offered her a relieved nod, before looking up and leaping over the wall, the sound of his weapons firing signifying to Blake that he’d joined the fray again. 

“What does it take to bring this thing down?!” Nora screamed, slamming her hammer into the Paladin’s left arm as it made a swing for Ren, teeth clenched as she took the brunt of the follow up right hook. She wasn’t going to go down without a fight, though, planting her foot on the ground with a scream as she brought Magnhild down on the robot’s foot, triggering the grenade launcher just as it made contact. She heard Ren calling her name as she flew backwards, her aura flickering around her before breaking as she hit the ground with a pained groan. “Ouch.”

Struggling to get to her feet, Nora limped her way over to Blake, getting ready to reload Magnhild as she compressed it to it’s launcher form. Something was definitely broken, Ren was going to be so worried now. She wouldn’t do anything different, though, he was way too important, and unlike her, he wasn’t sturdy enough to take that kind of hit. A strange smell filled her nose, eyes widening as she identified it as roses, a breeze carrying in a few stray petals. “Ruby!!!” The haughty voice of Weiss Schnee filled the air as the heiress landed on a glyph in the air, Nora giggling a little at the green look on her face. “I told you not to use your semblance on me again!”

“Sorry Weiss!” Ruby grinned as she landed in front of Blake and Nora, crouching down to check on the two, her entertained look fading away as she got a good look at her friends. “Oh, no, I’m sorry! We should’ve gotten to you sooner!” 

“Hey, don’t worry! We kept him occupied for you!” Nora grinned, gently petting Magnhild, doing her best to ignore the pain in her leg. “Now you guys get in there and help Renny! And Sun, I guess!” The shorter redhead chuckled.

“Anything you can tell us about this?” Ruby asked, looking to Blake, who was trying to stand. “You don’t need to head right back in there just yet, Weiss and I can hold the line until Yang gets here with Pyrrha and Jaune. That thing won’t stand a chance!”

“It’s… It’s a Paladin. Atlesian piloted war machina.” Blake explained, frowning at her leader’s orders to stand down for now, but she couldn’t deny the younger girl had a point. “Torchwick is inside that thing, you take it out…”

“Then we’ve got Torchwick!” Ruby gave a grateful smile, standing back up and deploying Crescent Rose, loading in a magazine of Electric Dust bullets. “We’ve got this for now, you two keep on recovering.” With that, the younger girl turned into a swirl of rose petals, spiraling upwards before reconstituting, her sniper-scythe aimed in front of her as she fired her first shot, the bullet exploding on the Paladin’s cockpit, the glass cracking.

“Little Red, Little Red!” Ruby tapped into her semblance again and blurred into roses as a hail of bullets passed through where she was before. Landing on the ground, she dashed forward, cutting at the already damaged foot Nora had targeted with her martyring attack earlier, Crescent Rose’s blade shearing through metal and cables, the Paladin sliding forward as it lost its footing. “You shouldn’t have come out here tonight, kid! I’m _really_ not in a good mood!”

An immaculate white glyph formed above Ruby, knocking back the oncoming fist the redhead hadn’t spotted. “Watch it you dolt!” Weiss scolded, Ruby’s cheeks flushing in embarrassment at needing to be saved, the younger girl swirling into petals as she dodged the follow up strike, awkwardly aimed now that the Paladin wasn’t on even footing. 

“Hey, Weiss, I want to try something. Can you make a sheet of ice like we’re doing Freezerburn?” She asked, swapping out her magazine for Fire Dust. “I want to blind him.”

“If you’re sure you can pull it off,” Weiss shrugged, Sun letting out a shout as he charged in to distract Torchwick. Weiss switched the Dust cartridge in Myrtenaster to Ice, stabbing the rapier to the ground and covering it in a sheet of ice. Leaping backwards, the crack of several shots from Crescent Rose filled the air as Ruby emptied the clip into the ice, bringing up a cloud of mist. 

“That’s not going to work, Little Red!” Torchwick’s irritating cackle came through the Paladin’s speakers as he activated the machine’s motion tracking system, several laser sights piercing through the mist in an attempt to spot Ruby. The younger girl grabbed Weiss by the wrist, the duo blurring into rose petals again as she brought her friend out of sight of the robot. “Come out, come out, wherever you are!”

“Weiss, I’m going to do something stupid, I want you to try and provide support if you can.” With the Atlesian looking a little confused, Ruby realized she could clarify. “You’ve been working on that… time dilation stuff, right? Use it on Ren when I give the signal. You’ll know it!” She didn’t wait for her partner to give a confirmation, blurring into petals and speeding towards the Mistralan boy, who was currently ducking and weaving through the mist as Torchwick tried to spot him. “Ren!” She whispered loudly, drawing his attention. “We need to take out these sensors, when I give the signal, Weiss is going to give you a boost and then we can take them out while the mist is still up. We don’t want to give him a chance to properly use those missile pods.” 

“Wait, what’s the sign-”

“Lotus Petals!” At that, Weiss stabbed Myrtenaster into the ground once more, a golden clockwork glyph appearing under Ren, his aura glowing brilliantly as it took effect. Tapping into her semblance again, Ruby charged forward, drawing Torchwick’s attention, while Ren found himself moving far faster than he was used to as he tore into the sensors, the criminal piloting the Paladin letting out a frustrated shriek as he lost access to the motion detectors. “What’s wrong, Torchwick, I thought you were angry?” She teased, cutting across the Paladin’s cockpit.

“When I get my hands on you, Little Red, I’m going to make you regret ever trying to stop me in the store!” Torchwick screamed, looking around the cockpit of the Paladin for anything he could possibly use. Damn useless machine was coming to pieces, but he wasn’t going to let that brat get away with this. Priming the missile pods, he gave a delirious grin. Even if he couldn’t aim properly, he could at least set them all free, one or two had to be able to find their mark. Cackling loudly, Roman fired both pods, not even caring as several detonated early as they collided on launch, the Paladin barely managing to stand. No, all he cared about was the pained scream that came from the little brat that had been interfering in his operations for so long.

Ow! Ow ow ow. Thank the Brothers for aura, or that would’ve done more than just hurt. Even now, Ruby was barely able to stand, red flickering all around her. The ground shook as the Paladin hobbled over to her, and even in its wrecked state, she knew it would easily be able to handle her as it was right now. She was almost spent, and a punch from its remaining arm could easily shatter what little remained of her aura. “Little Red, Little Red…” The voice of Torchwick rang out, somewhat distorted by static from the damaged speaker. “I’m going to enjoy teaching you why becoming a Huntress is a mistake.” That… that was not good. Neither was the laugh he gave as the Paladin grabbed her, aura flaring up as he had the machine squeeze tightly.

“Get. Away. From. My. _SISTER!_ ” 

Like a yellow comet, Yang Xiao Long crashed into the Paladin, eyes a blazing red, wisps of fire dancing off her hair. The machine lurched back, letting Ruby free, the younger girl giving a pained whimper as she hit the ground, and what little remaining of her aura gave out. A familiar humming sound met her ear as Akoúo̱ spun by, following up her sister’s attack and sending the Paladin to the ground, what little remained of its frame giving out. 

“ _Just_ got this thing cleaned.” Crawling out of the wreck, Roman Torchwick dusted off his jacket, looking over the group of students as they gathered, many of them limping and groaning. The smallest smirk grew on his lips as he spotted Little Red struggling to stand. “Ladies, gentlemen, Little Red…” Yang let out a snarl as she charged, firing off a micro-rocket from Ember Celica, his smirk only growing as his companion arrived, her open umbrella brushing away the attack. “Always a pleasure! Neo, if you would…” 

“I’m going to tear you apart!” Yang shouted, bringing her fist forward for another punch, only for the criminal and his henchwoman to shatter like a mirror, the group of students looking up to see the master thief tipping his bowler hat from the interior of a bullhead hovering overhead. 

“No way!” Jaune shouted, turning to Pyrrha. “We can’t let him get away, not after this, do you think you can get him out of it?” The champion gave a proud grin, raising her hand, aura turning black as she extended her reach towards the bullhead. It was metal, almost every bit inside it, simply tilting it… that should be achievable, given she wasn’t spent like so many of her allies. The VTOL lurched suddenly, Roman’s eyes widening as he suddenly lost his footing and found himself falling, turning to face the ground in time to meet the burning red eyes of Yang Xiao Long as her fist collided with his face. The henchwoman on the bullhead looked distressed, but someone they couldn’t hear called out to her, and with a pained expression, stepped away as it closed its doors and departed. Torchwick gave a pained groan, which was met with Yang’s boot to the side of his head, rendering the man unconscious. 

“H-hey… Good job, everyone.” Ruby gave a pained grin as she looked at the gathering of her friends, glad they had at least managed _something_ positive this evening. So many of them were hurt and she could help but feel it was her fault, after all, this was all her idea. Trying to step forward, she stumbled, losing grip of Crescent Rose as she fell forward, only stopping as someone brought her into a concerned hug. 

“Ruby!” Everything jostled a little as Jaune brought Ruby into a worried embrace, another set of arms joining as Pyrrha hugged her as well. “I- We were so worried!” The blonde boy exclaimed, offering her a soft smile as he looked down at her. “Let’s… everyone should find a place to wait. I’m sure that the police are on the way. Blake, if you can use your ribbon to tie up Torchwick, we don’t want that b- that jerk to slip away. He has to be held accountable for all of this.” Ruby smiled slightly as he took charge, proving all the more that he could be a leader despite his doubts. That smile quickly turned to a frown as she wondered if maybe she wasn’t as good a leader as she thought. After all, it was her who got so many of them hurt, only Yang’s group really coming out unscathed. 

“Don’t frown.” The warm voice of Pyrrha insisted, the older redhead looking down at Ruby and offering a reassuring smile. Ruby felt her cheeks warm a little as she found herself staring at that smile again, and her thoughts turned to how she was in Jaune’s arms. Stupid brain, getting distracted. It didn’t help that Pyrrha had taken her hand and offered a gentle squeeze while she was being carried somewhere better to sit. “If I know you as well as I think I do, Ruby, you’re probably thinking that you made mistakes, but that’s not fair to yourself. There’s a saying at Argus, one that’s been around for a very long time. “No plan survives first contact with the enemy.” Things would’ve gone great today if not for factors we couldn’t account for at all, and in the end, we managed to capture Torchwick, so I think that you did pretty great.”

“Thank you.” Ruby ducked her head a little, not really having anywhere to go in her current place in Jaune’s arms. She was honestly feeling pretty drowsy as her aura started to regenerate, letting out a tired yawn as they sat down, still facing the wreckage, but a bit further away now. Jaune and Pyrrha didn’t really let her down on the ground, the duo sitting beside her while she nestled against them. It was a bit unexpected, but she liked cuddling with them - _purely platonically, Yang! -_ so she wasn’t going to complain. “I-I’m going to just… rest my eyes a bit.”

“Take as long as you need. We’ll handle the police as best we can. Goodwitch is on her way.” Jaune reassured, holding her a little closer. 

“ _Professor_ Goodwitch,” Ruby teased, a slight smirk on her lips as she drifted into sleep. 

* * *

Admittedly, the first thing she expected to wake up to wasn’t people yelling. Ruby let out a soft groan, nuzzling against something metal, before her eyes opened wide and she shot up, cheeks bright red. Right. She was asleep. On Jaune and Pyrrha. Oh Brothers she hoped they didn’t think she was weird for nuzzling like that, she just thought he was a particularly hard pillow! The warm sound of Pyrrha’s chuckling drew her attention to the older girl, who offered her a cheerful smile. “I’d say good morning, but it’s only been about half an hour.” The champion explained, her cheeks as red as her scarlet locks as she took Ruby’s hand into her own again. “Things were going okay at first, until… _they_ showed up.” 

Ruby looked over to the direction of the rancor, finding Professor Goodwitch arguing with several members of Vale’s police, as well as a man she couldn’t exactly place. His hair was… familiar, a dark red similar to her own, she realized, his face clean shaven, a pair of dark sunglasses over his eyes. She couldn’t quite make out what Professor Goodwitch was saying, but she was clearly pretty mad. Ruby made to stand, Jaune and Pyrrha quick to help her up. “Don’t strain yourself, I think you have a sprained ankle. I’m just glad your aura held as long as it had, I’m sorry we didn’t get there sooner.” The blonde boy instructed, wrapping an arm around her shoulders so she could brace herself against him, Pyrrha at her side helping guide her, still holding onto her hand. “Blake is still looking for her scroll, but I’m guessing it was crushed by that _thing_. I can’t believe Atlas let Torchwick get a hold of it.”

“I’m not sure they _let_ him do anything, but he’s pretty crafty.” Ruby admitted, chuckling softly, before her eyes widened a little and she started searching for the career criminal. “Wh-where is he? You had Blake tie him up and everything!”

“Torchwick, don’t worry.” Jaune gave her an encouraging smile. “He’s been detained more properly, now. I think that’s what the dude in the glasses was here for, but I’m not sure. He hasn’t said a da- darn word to us since he got here. Just stared.” The blonde elected not to mention to Ruby exactly _who_ the man seemed to be focused on, she didn’t need that sort of stress, and he was clearly on their side. Hopefully he was just impressed. “It doesn’t matter right now, what’s important is that Torchwick is going to be going away for a long time, and Professor Goodwitch is here to oversee us.”

As if on queue, the professor’s voice boomed out in frustration. “No, I’m not going to let you take them into custody!” She scolded, the two police officers she was yelling at flinching at her furious stare. “Blake Belladonna and Sun Wukong are students of the Huntsmen Academies acting under an official mission, you do not have the authority to bring them into custody, especially not if you’re only going to try bringing _them_ into it.”

“But, ma’am, we found these masks on their persons!” One of the cops interjected, his voice dying away as she glared at him. “Besides, we can’t arrest all of them, th-”

“No, I think the professor is right, shocking as it may be.” The bespectacled man cut into the conversation, lacking much, if any, emotion, the two policemen looking rather dejected at his statement. “As she explained, these students were acting under proper authority, I’m sure the records were merely not filed to avoid potential leaks from your department.”

“I-I… yes sir.” The one who had spoken before acquiesced reluctantly, looking to his partner and giving a nod as they returned to their car. Ruby gave them a curious look, frowning a bit at the glare they were sending Blake’s way before departing. 

“Ah, yes, the hero of the hour!” What, why was he looking at her, and why did Goodwitch look so frustrated? “Of all the times to meet again, I hadn’t thought it would be when I was tipped off that a group of Beacon students had brought in that menace, Torchwick. I do hope their behavior will be excused, Glynda, we both know this wasn’t official, despite the little deceptions we gave the VPD.”

“Yes, well, be that as it may, Councilman, Miss Rose and her friends still broke _several rules_ today, and their actions will be discussed somewhere _you_ are not involved.” Professor Goodwitch retorted, sending the man a glare, to which he responded with a lighthearted shrug. “A bullhead is on the way, and we will see these students to Beacon’s medical facilities. Many of their auras were depleted, and all of them could use a good night’s rest.”

“Ah, well, if you insist.” The man gave a confident smile, reaching out for Glynda’s hand, though she swiftly rejected him. He gave an ineffectual laugh, adjusting his dark glasses, bowing his head. “My apologies, I was merely seeking to be polite. Now then, I must depart, I left things rather unannounced. Have a wonderful evening, Glynda.” He chuckled at her rather blunt “I won’t,” before turning to the silver-eyed girl, giving her an odd smile. It looked as though he was proud, it just felt really weird. “You did well, Ruby. I’m sure Summer would be quite proud.”

Before she could ask what that meant, who he was, he gave a halfhearted wave, before returning to a small airship she hadn’t noticed, whoever was in the pilot seat wearing a strange veil. Looking back at Professor Goodwitch, she felt a knot in her stomach, eyes darting to the ground shamefully. “Miss Rose, I hope you appreciate the mess you’ve caused us this evening.” The professor sighed, shaking her head. “Still, I’m grateful none of my students were irreparably harmed by this little excursion of yours. All of you should’ve known better, if you had concerns, you could’ve gone to your professors.”

“But! We needed to make sure that Torchwick was caught!” Ruby blurted out, looking up at the blonde woman, eyes pleading for understanding. “If we’d gone to you, then you’d have told us not to worry about it. To just leave things to the police.”

“If you sincerely believe we were doing nothing to work towards apprehending Roman Torchwick, I’m disheartened you lacked confidence in your teachers.” Glynda sighed, shaking her head. “We _will_ discuss things tomorrow, Miss Rose, but for now, you all need rest.” The girl gave a meek nod, which seemed to satisfy the professor. “Attention, students, transportation is on the way for the return to Beacon. _All_ of you will be seeing Professor Greene in the infirmary before you return to your dorms, so that she can inspect you for injuries. I expect you to be as accommodating as possible, so that this does not take all night.”

The Huntsman and Huntress trainees all gave out various brief agreements to the professor’s orders, not willing to risk her wrath, given how lenient she was being so far. Jaune and Pyrrha stuck close to Ruby as they waited for the bullhead to arrive, the younger girl grateful for their presence, but one invasive thought kept cutting at the edge of her mind. _How did that man know my name_?


	11. Greene Gables

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ozpin and Glynda meet to discuss current events, while Ruby is inspected by the Professor who tends to the infirmary.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a little awkward to write at a couple points, but I think I got it down well! I hope everyone will enjoy!
> 
> As always, please comment if you have any feedback, reviews, criticisms, or just wanna leave a nice message!

“Well, how did things go with Miss Rose and her friends?” Professor Ozpin sipped hot cocoa from his mug, eyes darting up to Glynda as she entered his office, looking rather frustrated. “That bad, then? Please tell me none of them were harmed too badly during this little… exercise.”

“I’ve sent them to see Ann, but it didn’t look like any permanent injuries. Miss Belladonna, Miss Valkyrie, and Miss Rose took the brunt of the harm.” Glynda explained, Ozpin keeping a weary eye on her as she approached his desk, glaring at him. While he could easily shrug it off, her disdain was ever unpleasant. “August arrived to detain Roman.”

“Ah, I hope that the Councilman was satisfied with the actions of our students, then.” A slight frown crossed the headmaster’s face, but he continued his effort to be as neutral as possible. 

“Yes, he was quite impressed with our students. Miss Rose in particular.” That was… disconcerting. August may have been a man that Professor Ozpin did not agree with often, but he was hesitant to assume the worst in this situation. It was, after all, a reunion between distant family members. “I fear he may seek to use her for a publicity stunt. His party has been stunted for several years, a new member of the family being brought to public eye might be the kind of boost he needs.”

“I would hope he is not so short sighted to see his niece as an object for the public eye.” Ozpin sighed, putting down his mug and placing his scroll on the desk, tapping it to expand the screen. “At least our students weren’t detained. I’ll have to thank James for giving me the idea that the mission record was kept secret until its completion, as well as speak to him concerning his new Paladins falling into the hands of terrorists.”

“Yes, I think I have a few words for him as well.” Glynda dryly agreed, the headmaster having to hold back a chuckle. Yes, he supposed Glynda would have far harsher words than he might, given her concern over the leeway he’d allowed the Atlesian General of late. “We _are_ going to be punishing teams RWBY and JNPR for their conduct today, yes?”

“Of course, Glynda.” Ozpin _did_ chuckle at that. Of course she wouldn’t let that rest, either. He didn’t blame her, she was first and foremost a teacher, and her students had misbehaved. “I’ve sent a message to Leo as well, for his student.”

“Yes, Mister Wukong already has a rather poor record, I’m not surprised he was mixed up in all this.” 

“Well, he was at the docks with Miss Belladonna at the end of the last semester.” Ozpin added, resting his hands around the still warm mug of cocoa. “As was Miss Rose. It seems they are quite tied to this whole affair, intentional or not. First at the Dust robbery, then the docks, followed by the bookstore, and now, with the Paladin.”

“I thought you wished for them to remain children, not the defenders of the world.” Glynda noted, the woman having turned to look out the windows that surrounded the room, something she often did when she wished to hide the departure from her more serious expression. “They shouldn’t be taking part in this fight, not yet. They don’t know what they’re getting involved in.”

“Did any of us, really?” Save perhaps him, a part of him, at least. “I will always encourage that they keep their innocence as long as they can, but we cannot deny that they are here to learn to fight the darkness, even if they do not know what it is.”

“Yes, well, I suppose you know more than I, you were recruited to this war with no knowledge whatsoever, no choice.” Glynda commented, hands folded behind her back as she turned to the headmaster. “Still, do you wish to make preparations, in case they continue to seek involvement in this?”

“I think it would be best to see if they are willing to come to us, first. Hopefully the advice you’ve given them today will set well, and we will not have to suffer them running around unattended in Vale yet again.”

“Perhaps Ann will get through to them, I worry that Miss Rose is still reticent to seek me out, even after I offered.” Ozpin noted that his deputy sounded somewhat disappointed at this, something he understood. Ruby Rose was a student with a lot of potential, even looking past her eyes, and the thought that she might be unwilling to seek help was disheartening. Nonetheless, he had confidence in team RWBY, just as he had in team STRQ, and he would do what he could to support them. 

“Her unique perspective may at least come as a refreshing change of pace.” Ozpin smirked, bringing the mug to his lips to take a sip of cocoa. “She probably would’ve approved of their plan, had they asked.”

“You say that as though we wouldn’t have.” 

“My discussion with Miss Belladonna may have led her to believe we would not be willing to listen to their concerns.” The headmaster noted, looking to Glynda. “I did want them to stay away from the situation if they could.”

"For all the good that did."

"Yes, well. We will have to reevaluate the situation, as well as how we handle it." Ozpin sighed, noting Glynda's rather skeptical look. "With Torchwick detained, the woman you encountered the night Miss Rose intervened with the Dust robbery will have to seek other avenues."

"The White Fang are still out there. We can assume that Roman had not swayed them to his side by his word alone." The deputy headmistress warned, tone cold. "And Roman Torchwick has a history of not staying detained for as long as he should, we would do well to keep him guarded."

"Of course. Until his trial, he's set to be detained at the highest level security the Kingdom has to offer." Ozpin reassured, though privately, he made note to seek that the guard duty be doubled while he was not in the academy's custody. "Thank you for your assistance tonight, Glynda. That should be all for the evening. Let's hope the next week is less exciting."

* * *

"You kids really lucked out, this could've been much worse." Yes. She knew that. It _really_ didn't help with the guilt Ruby was feeling after seeing so many of her friends hurt. The redhead looked towards the ground, trying to ignore the sinking feeling in her stomach as the professor continued to chat on, not particularly interested in discussing what had happened further. The woman currently inspecting her still swollen ankle was Ann Greene, one of the professors that held no classes for the first years. Standing at about 5'11, she was a pale woman, skin dotted with freckles. If not for the few small feathers Ruby could make out on her forehead, she probably would never have noticed she was a Faunus. "I knew that team STRQ got up to some crazy stuff when we were at Beacon, but I don't think Summer ever quite caused this sort of mess."

"You… you knew my mom's team?" Technically it was her parents' team but after how little she'd heard of her mother, Ruby honed in on that immediately. The teen looked up at the redheaded woman, eyes wide with curiosity, receiving a soft smile from Professor Greene. 

"I was a year behind them, part of team HAYL. We were never quite as notorious as team STRQ, but I like to think that's because we were better at keeping quiet." Ann chuckled, before pressing a cold compress on the teen's ankle. "It was hard not to know Team STRQ, they were one of the best teams in the school, not that their grades always reflected that. Sparring with them before the 29th Vytal Festival was a real treat. No one quite held an axe with the same ferocity as your mother."

"My mom used an _axe_?" It was hard to hide the disbelief from her voice, probably why it wasn't successful. Ruby gaped in shock at the teacher, who looked a bit surprised by Ruby's reaction. 

"Yeah. Old family weapon, if I remember right, Summer was never big on talking about family, not that I blame her." Well that sounded weird! Ruby furrowed her brow, trying to think if she recalled _anything_ about her mom's family outside of the techniques she used to make her clothes, coming up woefully short. "Holltwr Arian. It's on the statue in the courtyard. A bit basic, compared to the Branwen twins' weapons, but Summer was an artist with it."

"I had no idea." Ruby mumbled sadly, shoulders sinking as she looked down again. "I'm not even sure Yang ever knew, she never mentioned an axe." 

"I'm not surprised, you were both young when she was lost to us." The woman gave Ruby a sympathetic smile, "tell you what, kiddo, you tell me about your plan today, and I'll tell you a story about your mom, deal?"

"Really?" Ruby was wide-eyed as she turned her gaze back up to the professor, who gave a simple nod in affirmation. It was a quick explanation, Ruby leaving out a few key details, like Weiss's intent to steal information from the SDC. Still, she gave the gist of the plan, where people would be, where they planned to meet. How Sun interrupted and inserted himself into it (though Neptune had no bearing in the events, so she left him out). Finally, she finished off by explaining how it all went wrong, with the fight against Roman Torchwick in the Atlesian Paladin. "I… I guess I really messed up. I thought that we could do all this reconnaissance and got my friends hurt, even if we did catch Torchwick in the end."

"I wouldn't quite say that, kiddo." Ruby looked at Professor Greene, perplexed by her statement. "It’s true, things went wrong, but there’s a saying from the Great War, something first said by a Mantlean General. “No plan survives contact with the enemy.” You had a solid plan, you’d have even gotten a good grade for the theoretical stuff in my class.” That’s right, she taught _Stealth and Security_ to the upperclassmen. “Unfortunately for you, things went against your plan. Still, you did pretty good, all things considered. You managed to detain Torchwick, at least.”

“You really think we did good?” Ruby sounded nervous as she asked the older redhead, who gave a lighthearted chuckle, smiling at her.

“Of course. You managed to coordinate nine students without any proper training, and you caught that menace.” Ruby’s face brightened a little at that, the professor looking to be happy that the teen was feeling a little better. “Now then, I said I would tell you a story about Summer, right?”

“Now most people would go for telling you about a mission, but this is something that’s always stuck to my memory. It was my first year at Beacon, but _everyone_ knew Team STRQ wasn’t one to mess with. Everyone aside from one foolhardy first year, Avel Winchester - I think he has a son here this year - who decided that he, more than any other, was the right man to knock them down a peg or two.” Professor Greene grinned a little as she recalled the events. “So he walks up to Summer while she’s in the middle of eating lunch, a wide smirk on his face. And he tells Summer that she should ‘drop the savages, and come sit with me.’

“You have to understand, Team STRQ had a rather unusual makeup, a Valean Noble leading a Vacuan drifter and two Animan kids who couldn’t even be associated with the Kingdom of Mistral. Lots of people thought what Avel thought, that Summer was interacting with people “beneath her station,” but no one had the guts to actually say it.” If the professor had noticed the look of confusion on Ruby’s face at the description of her mother, she said nothing, focusing on her tale instead. “So Avel is standing there, thinking he’s just convinced this beautiful woman to come sit with him. Summer stands up, everyone is watching, and she leans in close to him.” Professor Greene’s grin grew as she reached the end of her little tale, “Summer grabs him by the, uh, “crotch,” and squeezes tightly, saying ‘you can call me “Sir”’ to the whole cafeteria. Winchester drops to the ground, crying, the moment she lets go, and Raven just bursts into laughter. It must’ve been the first time anyone in the school had _ever_ seen the older Branwen twin laugh.”

“My mom did that?!” Ruby blurted out, eyes wide with shock, the professor giving a hearty laugh at her surprise. “I-I always thought that she was timid, like me.”

“Summer was never timid, but people thought she was by her reserved demeanor.” Ann shook her head, offering the teen a reassuring smile. “Once she got talking, she was one of the most opinionated and confident students in the academy. She just didn’t open up a lot around people she didn’t know. Hey, now, why the frown?”

“I just… I thought I was like my mom.” Ruby said softly, shoulders dropping, “Yang always said I was like mom.”

“Just because you lack some of her flair for the dramatic doesn’t mean you aren’t like Summer,” Professor Greene consoled her, the woman’s voice gentle and reassuring. “You’re brave, like she was, and you’ve certainly got the same guts she had, or else you wouldn’t have been willing to go after Torchwick.”

“But I don’t.” Ruby shook her head, hands clenched tightly. “I’m scared, I-I can’t get the image of M-Mister Tukson out of my head, a-and now I almost got everyone I care about here killed because I thought I knew what I was doing, but I didn’t. I-I’m a failure of a leader.”

“That’s a load of bullshit if I’ve ever heard it.” Professor Greene said bluntly, not caring about the way Ruby flinched at the profanity. “You’re fifteen, kiddo. You’re going to get better, but you’ve got to remember that you’re just a student, and you’re younger than most kids ever are when they start at this place. You’re going to get better, but you’ve just started out. There’s a reason why we send Huntsmen out with first years for the more dangerous missions, because we want to help alleviate some of the responsibility on their shoulders, but you aren’t always going to have things go the way you want, and it’s how you adapt when things go awry that matter.” Ruby couldn’t respond, teeth clenched shut as she bit back the retort that gnawed at the back of her head. “You did well, all things considered. You kept Torchwick from endangering the public at large by not dragging him out onto the streets, and you managed to capture him. You got hurt, a lot of you did, but that’s not something you’ll be able to avoid as a Huntress.”

“I just… I don’t like seeing my friends getting hurt,” Ruby mumbled, focused on the floor as she avoided the professor’s sympathetic look. 

"No one does, kiddo." Ruby jumped slightly as the woman ruffled her hair, eyes darting up briefly, though she was reluctant to keep eye contact. "Losing the people we love and care about… it's all too common for those who choose this way of life, but even so, we must carry on. You're young, Ruby, so don't make the mistake so many veteran Huntsmen make and avoid talking to those willing to help. You won't be weaker for it, I promise."

Ruby didn’t respond, the older woman giving a sigh and ruffling the girl’s hair again. “You should be okay by the time classes start on Monday, but be sure to take it easy tomorrow, while your aura tends to you. You’ve got some internal bleeding but nothing serious, so don’t be surprised if you wake up with more bruises than you had when you went to bed.” The young redhead nodded slowly, standing up and making her way towards the door. “Ruby, I hope you’ll take my advice into consideration.” 

“Yes, ma’am.” It was a halfhearted answer, but that was the best that Ruby could give, especially when she really didn’t want to think about the advice given at all. As far as she was concerned, it wasn’t true. Ruby _knew_ she could’ve done something better and prevented everyone else from being hurt, she just didn’t know what. 

* * *

"Ruby!" The moment she escaped the infirmary, a pair of strong arms was around her in a backbreaking hug, the young redhead's face enveloped in a golden mane as her sister embraced her. After a few painful seconds that felt like an eternity, Ruby was let back down on the ground, Yang giving her a relieved look. "I'm so glad you're okay!"

"Y-yeah." Ow… Ruby offered her sister a pained smile, making an effort to not clutch her bruised sides, which only ached further after a signature Xiao-Long hug. “Are you okay, Yang?”

“Am _I_ okay?! Ruby, you could’ve been killed!” Yang exclaimed, tightly grabbing her sister by the shoulders and pulling her close, giving her another once over. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I-I’ll be fine, Yang. Just some bruising, promise.” Ruby insisted, repeating the prior smile with a little more effort, as she twisted out of her sister’s grip. “I just… I just want to sit down, relax a bit, okay?”

“Oh. Y-yeah. Sure.” Woah, Yang sounded… sad? That made Ruby frown a little, and she offered a more genuine smile as she gave her big sister a hug, which Yang responded to with a thankfully less crushing embrace of her own. “Do you want me to send Jaune and Pyrrha a message?” Oh, that hadn’t really occurred to her, but now that the thought was in her mind, it did make Ruby feel a little better. At her nod, Yang chuckled a little, concluding the hug. “Okay. I guess you’ll be heading for the dorm’s roof again?”

“Yeah… thanks Yang.” Ruby offered her big sister a wide smile, feeling a little better than she had been after her talk with Professor Greene. At that, a thought crossed her head, and she had to ask: “hey, Yang, do you think we can talk about mom tomorrow?”

“Talk about mom?” Her big sister was understandably surprised, but a grin broke out on her face after a few seconds. “Yeah, we can. I’ll see you later, sis, I’m going to go check on Blake.”

“Bye, Yang!” Ruby gave her sister a brief wave as the blonde departed in the opposite direction. Hopefully Blake was doing okay, Ruby knew she’d taken a few really bad hits before she’d arrived, but she was too injured to check on her comrades after the battle with Torchwick ended. Yet another failure on her part as a leader, she supposed, shaking her head. That didn’t matter right now, she couldn’t do anything.

Ruby was quick to make her way to the top of the dorms, a few errant petals bleeding off her from time to time, not quite fully tapped into her semblance, but enough to get a little bit of a speed boost. She sat alone for a few minutes, arms wrapped around her knees, trying not to let her mind wander. “There you are,” the soft voice of Pyrrha drew her attention up, the older girl having changed into her pajamas while waiting for Ruby’s examination at the infirmary to conclude. The older girl sat down beside her, pulling her into a gentle hug from the side. “I was- we were worried about you. Jaune and I.”

Ruby didn’t say anything, letting out a soft whimper instead, leaning against the older girl, who began to gently rub her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. “Jaune will be here soon, he went to go get something for us to drink. We were thinking you might enjoy some cocoa?” Ruby gave Pyrrha a grateful smile, though she still refused to say anything. “You were very brave today, Ruby. When we saw you in Torchwick’s - in that machine’s grasp - I was so scared. If Yang hadn’t gotten there sooner, I’m sure I would’ve done my best to tear that thing apart.”

“You did pretty well doing that anyways, Pyrrha.” The cheerful voice of Jaune piped up as he approached, tray of mugs in hand. He sounded slightly teasing, though it was clear he was also feeling more than a little agitated about the state they’d found Ruby in during the fight. Squatting down to Ruby’s level, he offered one of the mugs. “Here, this shouldn’t be _too_ hot.” 

She nodded slightly, taking it with her free hand. “Thank you.” She mumbled softly, taking a sip of the cocoa before her eyes darted towards the ground, watering up a little. “I-I’m sorry.”

“What for?” The blonde asked, scooting into place on her free side, offering Pyrrha a kind smile before turning his attention back on Ruby, placing his hand over the older girl’s on the shorter’s shoulder. “You don’t need to apologize to either of us, Ruby. We said we’d be with you, remember?”

“B-But I messed up!” Ruby insisted, ducking her head down. As nice as it was to have Pyrrha and Jaune with her, she still couldn’t escape the gnawing doubt in the back of her head. What if they’d gotten hurt, too? Why did that make it feel all the worse than it already was? “If I’d just… planned better or something, no one would be hurt. B-Blake and Nora were both really banged up when I got there with Weiss… if I had been faster or something, I could’ve helped them, too.”

“Hey… don’t think like that.” Jaune insisted, shaking his head slowly. “You told me that we can’t be failures as leaders, right? Well, I don’t think you were, not at all. You didn’t get there too late to help Blake and Nora, you got there soon enough to make sure that Torchwick couldn’t hurt them more. Even if some of us were more roughed up than the others, we made it out of there safe and sound, while Torchwick is going to go behind bars. Just focus on the positives, okay?”

“I know that might sound easier said than done,” Pyrrha interjected, before Ruby could retort, “but that’s what we have to do. We know that sometimes, your mind drifts to less pleasant places, Ruby, but we’re here, okay? Jaune and I are right here, no matter what.”

“Why?” Ruby blurted out, her voice raising suddenly. “Wh-why are you here, though? W-Why do you care?”

“Ruby, we don’t need a reason to care.” Jaune insisted, wrapping an arm around her other shoulder so that she was caught in a hug between himself and Pyrrha. “You’re you, that’s enough for us.”

“I-I don’t understand.” Ruby mumbled, feeling her eyes water up. Why were they always so nice to her, so quick to be by her side and tend to her? 

"Ruby…" Pyrrha hesitated for a moment, deciding that now might not be the best time. "You're really important to Jaune and me. You're our best friend, of course we're going to care. We're here for you, just like you'd be here for us if the situation was reversed."

"I…" Ruby found it hard to retort. She knew they were correct, she would absolutely be there for either of them in a heartbeat, and they were unquestionably her best friends. Sometimes they made things feel odd, with how much they cared about her, and little things like smiles and touches would make her feel elated when they wouldn't from other people. Slowly, a hint of a smile formed, and she rubbed the tears from her eyes. "You're my best friends, too." She insisted, feeling a little better. "I… I have an idea, but I want to ask you both first."

"Of course!" "Shoot." Jaune and Pyrrha awkwardly laughed as they both agreed at once, their cheeks flushing. That was weird, Ruby was definitely going to have to find out what all happened while they were with her sister.

"I… I was thinking of telling Ozpin whatever information we learned." Ruby explained, the duo giving her a shared look of surprise. "H-he… if we have evidence, he might be willing to at least do something."

"If you're sure that's a good idea, we're with you." Pyrrha said softly, Jaune nodding in agreement. The younger girl smiled brightly, leaning her head against Pyrrha's shoulder while Jaune leaned onto hers. "We'll stick by your side. We trust you." The trio remained on the roof for an hour or so, until Ruby got too tired to continue, at which point they reluctantly departed for bed, Jaune and Pyrrha saying goodnight as they dropped her off at her dorm. 


	12. Breakfast Bash!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another helpful discussion with Ren comes to pass, and she finally takes him up on his offer from the weekend before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just managed to get this out in time! I had fun writing it, I hope everyone will enjoy it as much as I do!
> 
> Please comment if you have any feedback, reviews, criticisms, or just wanna leave a nice message!

“ _Little Red, Little Red._ ” 

Ruby’s eyes shot open, the teen flailing as she tried to free herself from the tight embrace of her sheets, which had wrapped around her after a night of fitful sleep. She wasn’t there, nothing was holding her, she was fine. Inhaling for four seconds, she held for seven, then exhaled for eight. Just like Uncle Qrow taught her as a kid. Unclenching her hands, the silver-eyed girl frowned as she slipped from her bed and towards the door to the bathroom. At least today had the decency of not plaguing her with nightmares of Tukson, instead it was nightmares of Torchwick instead. 

Looking in the mirror as she splashed some water across her face, Ruby frowned at the bags beneath her eyes. Of all the things to regret not paying attention to, Yang's attempts to teach her how to use makeup were never what she thought it'd be. Shaking her head, she splashed her face again, silver eyes blinking slowly. Slowly returning to the main dorm room, thankfully not stumbling about, Ruby looked to the clock. Darn, only 6:30am. Oh well, might as well get some milk and read, she supposed. _The Third Crusade_ wasn't going to finish itself, after all, and it was easier to read when Weiss wasn't awake. Ruby had finally gotten to Ghira Belladonna's discussion on the aftermath of the Faunus Right's Revolution, and she was admittedly interested to see Blake's dad's reasoning for forming the White Fang on paper.

Doing her best to stifle another yawn, Ruby made her way out of her dorm room, rubbing some of the grogginess from her eyes. As she entered the kitchen, she nearly walked into a mass of straight back hair. "Good morning, Ruby." Oh! It was Ren! Thinking on it, this might be the first time Ruby had actually seen him without his hair in a ponytail. "You look a little tired, would you like some tea?"

"Huh? Oh, uh, sure!" Ruby nodded, the Mistralan boy offering the hint of a smile as he added a little more water to the kettle, before bringing it to the stove. Ren was good with silence, something Ruby would be grateful for if not for the nagging anxiety that he, like any of her friends, might be angry at her for what happened the night before. "Is, um, is Nora okay?" She mumbled sheepishly, looking towards the ground.

"Yes, she's fine." Ren replied calmly, preparing leaves for steeping and a pair of mugs for when the water was ready. "I will always worry for her when she puts herself into danger so recklessly, just as I'm sure she worries for me, but I do not blame her for it. Being hardheaded is simply her nature." Placing the tea leaves in each mug, he looked up at Ruby. "I do not blame you, either, despite it being in your nature to assume responsibility."

Okay, in hindsight she should've remembered that when he did deign to speak, he could often cut through her excuses before she could even voice them. He had only done it like a week ago, she should've been prepared. "I just… Nora got hurt, Blake got hurt… even you and Sun got pretty scratched up. I'm the one who was in charge, it's my responsibility to see you all through in one piece."

"You're forgetting someone." Ren cautioned, looking Ruby dead in the eyes. "You were hurt. More than Blake, or Nora, or me and Sun. Torchwick was focused on you alone when he discovered you were there." Ruby's eyes darted to the floor, hoping to avoid his words, but the Mistralan boy continued unhindered. "You are a part of our team as well, Ruby, you have been ever since you befriended our leader and his partner. You would do well to remember that we care about your wellbeing as well." 

Ruby frowned, but the smile on Ren's face as he gave her one of the mugs of tea showed that he wasn't judging her for her worries. "I'll try, it's just… it's so hard." She mumbled softly, taking a sip of the tea, sticking her tongue out when she found it was still a little too warm. "Um, how are _you_ , Ren?"

"I am doing well enough." He replied tersely, looking up from his drink at the Silver-eyed girl. Oh, gosh, now he didn't have much to say? Ruby sat silently, sipping from her tea as it cooled, Ren doing much the same, seeming to enjoy the peace and quiet. She could do that, yes it was a little bit intimidating but nothing she couldn't handle! The redhead let out a startled squeak as Ren suddenly rose, giving a refreshed sigh. "Last weekend, I suggested our teams have breakfast together. Perhaps today would be a good day?"

Ruby gave a surprised gasp, eyes lighting up gleefully. That was a great idea! “Oh, sure! Are you going to make pancakes again?” Ren nodded, washing out his mug and going to the cabinet to start preparing supplies. “Do you mind if I help?” 

“If you want to,” Ren replied briefly, offering a curt nod as he placed the flour on the counter. “Can you get eggs out? With everyone eating, we’ll probably need the whole dozen.”

“Ha, yeah… we can eat a lot.” Ruby chuckled, doing as asked while Ren continued getting out more of the supplies needed. “How did you learn to make such good pancakes, Ren?”

“It was a couple years after I met Nora,” Ren said, his voice somewhat soft as he thought back to that time in his life, Ruby offering a nervous smile as she provided a couple sticks of butter. “Ah, you have some experience with pancakes, good, you won’t mind getting your hands dirty.” 

“Yeah, we used to make them back home.” Ruby cheerfully chirped, smiling widely. “Yang taught me, even though she’s not that good at making them, just don’t tell her I told you that.” 

“I’ll be sure not to.” Ren agreed, the hint of a smirk on his face the only indication he thought her statement was funny. As he began to whisk ingredients together, he continued explaining about how he learned to make them in the first place. “Nora and I were… wanderers, for some time. We were eleven, and found a kind woman at a farm, taking care of her young nephew. She offered us a place to stay for the week, as heavy rains were coming through. She couldn’t let us stay forever, and we didn’t want to. We were trying to get to Mistral, to join Refuge, one of the lesser Combat Schools in the Kingdom.”

Ruby stayed silent as the two worked, letting Ren continue his story, when she prepared fruit and chocolate chips to put in some of the pancakes. “Nora loved her pancakes so much, she ate almost 20 of them the first time we were given them.” He chuckled warmly, thinking back to how much his closest friend had complained of stomach aches in the immediate aftermath. “I… Finding food was hard, sometimes, so I couldn’t blame her for overeating. Instead, I apologized to the woman, and asked her if she could show me how to make them, so I could help.”

“She was happy to show me, and Nora was delighted to eat her “Rencakes,” so it became something that I’ve always tried to make when I can.” Ruby found the gentle smile on the Mistralan boy’s face to be heartwarming, seeing how despite his reserved nature, he really cared about Nora. “I wonder if that woman is doing well, now. She never told us her name, just said to call her “Em,” and she didn’t have a local Huntsman to keep watch.”

“I’m glad she helped you two out.” Ruby piped up softly, as she finished chopping strawberries. She hadn’t really thought much about it before, but Ren was opening up a little about his and Nora’s past to her, and she was grateful that he trusted her enough to do so. “And I’d definitely agree with Nora, your pancakes are pretty good.” 

“I am, too.” He nodded, placing a frying pan on the dorm’s stove, starting up the Fire Dust heater beneath it. “Do you want to go get everyone while I start cooking these up?”

“Oh, sure!” Ruby agreed, taking care to not tap into her semblance as she rushed over to their dorm rooms, practically barging down Team RWBY’s door before announcing “Pancakes!” to her disoriented team, grinning widely. Weiss groaned loudly at the rude awakening, while Blake was already awake, reading in her bunk. Yang’s response was probably the funniest, though, Ruby giving a quick “eep!” as her sister flung a pillow at her. 

Making her way over to Team JNPR’s dorm, Ruby gave a hesitant knock, hoping someone would be around to answer. As the door slowly opened, she was met with a messy mass of red hair, and tired emerald eyes. “Oh! Good morning!” Pyrrha cheerfully greeted her, eyes getting some life to them as she smiled at the younger girl. “Did you need something, Ruby? N-Not that you aren’t welcome to just visit!”

“Oh, um, Ren and I wanted to tell you all that we’re making pancakes.” Ruby said nervously, eyes darting to the side as she felt a blush coming to her face again. Darn it, why was that happening so often now? This was never a problem back at Signal! Not even once! “I, um, I-I’ll let you get changed.” Squeaking out that last part, Ruby had to go, blurring into a cloud of petals as she rushed down the hall, cheeks burning red. At the raised brow Ren gave her on her return, she managed to stumble a few words out. “S-sorry! Just, n-not used to Pyrrha with her hair down. She, um, looked really nice. D-Don’t laugh!”

“My apologies.” Ren replied, though he didn’t stop his light chuckling. “Do you want to take over here while I get the syrup ready, get your mind off things?” Ruby sheepishly nodded, donning a spare apron and taking his place at the stove, adding in chocolate chips to the next batch they were working on.

“Do you think Jaune and Pyrrha will like my pancakes?” Wait. Why did she ask that no don’t think about them! At Ren’s lighthearted chuckle, she ducked her head slightly, trying to focus her best on the task at hand, not on the duo that kept crossing her mind when she didn’t really need them to. “I-I’m only asking because I know my team will, and I know Nora is going to eat yours!” She insisted defensively, though she couldn’t even convince herself of that. Brothers these weird feelings were getting kind of annoying now, as much as she also enjoyed them sometimes. 

“I’m positive they will.” If a calm, almost monotonous voice could be teasing, this was definitely it. Ruby shot Ren an ineffectual glare, one that he didn’t deign to acknowledge, the Mistralan boy taking out a small jar of red sap from the Forever Fall. “For Nora, since she enjoys it so much.” He explained, noticing the curious look she was giving him. “Those need to be flipped.” Oh no she forgot to pay attention! Ugh, stupid brain.

* * *

The duo continued to work on breakfast for the next twenty or so minutes, while the rest of their teams got ready, but soon enough the Huntsman and Huntress trainees were all gathered into the dorm’s small eating area. Ruby found herself between Jaune and Pyrrha again, her sister giving her a weird smirk from across the table, which only made her feel further embarrassed than she already was. Pyrrha had thankfully pulled her hair into its usual ponytail, but even the errant thought of her earlier caused Ruby’s cheeks to warm again. “Ruby?” Huh? Looking over to Jaune, she saw him giving her a slightly concerned look. “You okay? You’ve been spacing out a lot.” 

“Oh! Um, I’m fine. I just didn’t sleep well.” It was a bit of a flimsy excuse, but it was technically true. She _hadn’t_ slept well, that just wasn’t the cause of any of her current problems. The warm smile he gave her at that really wasn’t helping, it just made her feel even weirder. Turning her gaze to the pancakes in front of her, a mix of strawberry and chocolate chip ones stacked atop one another, Ruby tried to focus on her food as she cut off a piece, giving a delighted sigh as she put the bite in her mouth. “These are really good!” 

“They are.” Pyrrha agreed sweetly, her warm voice causing Ruby to blush further. Darn stupid brain! She was just complimenting her pancakes, it was no big deal. Well, no, it was kind of a big deal! Pyrrha liked her cooking, that was nice! But why should it matter so much? Ruby furrowed her brow, battling between being happy about the compliment because it was nice, or because _Pyrrha_ was the one who had given it. While she once again zoned out, fork hovering above her plate with a piece of pancake waiting to be eaten, Pyrrha struck, leaning over to take it from her. 

Yang’s whooping laugh drew Ruby out of her stupor, eyes wide as she noticed Pyrrha was just a few inches from her face, giving a sheepish grin. “Oh, um, h-hello.” She squeaked out, dipping her head down as she felt her cheeks flare up even further. Ruby was at least 90% positive her face was the same color as her cloak, not that she could check. At least Jaune was just as surprised as she was, from the looks of it, though a mischievous glint took to his eyes. “Ruby,” he leaned a little forward, giving his best puppy eyes, which were, admittedly, pretty good. Must’ve been from having so many older sisters. “Can I have a bite, too?” 

“I, um, y-yeah.” Ruby.exe has shut down. The younger redhead nodded meekly as she offered her fork, hand trembling, as Jaune took a bite, offering her a joyful smile in return. She tried to return one, but she couldn’t, barely able to bring her fork back to her plate to get a bite for herself. Pyrrha and Jaune were acting _weird_ , and it really wasn’t helping with how weird she’d been feeling. Neither was Yang’s cackling, quite frankly, but thankfully Blake had drawn her attention away. “S-So, um, I'm glad you enjoyed them!" 

“Of course we did, you made them.” Jaune insisted, Ruby noting the redness on his cheeks as well. If it was so embarrassing to ask for her food like that, why did he? Why did she not mind? Ugh this stuff was too complicated! Killing Grimm was easier than dealing with these weird feelings. “I had no idea you were good at making pancakes, Ruby. I knew you made cookies, but it’s a lot different.”

“Ah, well, I did a lot of cooking at home when I learned how.” She sheepishly admitted, smiling softly. “Dad taught me, Yang, too. We used to do it as a family thing.” 

“That’s really sweet.” Pyrrha commented, smiling down at the shorter redhead, causing Ruby to duck her head down as she blushed again. “I never had a chance to learn how to cook. Our living situation before I became “the Pride of Mistral” was rather simple, and neither of my mothers worked at a time that allowed us to eat together, so I usually just ordered out.” Pyrrha sounded a little sad at that, so Ruby offered her a warm smile and encouraging pat on the leg. At that, the champion’s eyes brightened, and she smiled wide. “I can make a killer sandwich, though!”

“I’ll have to try one, sometime, then!” Ruby blurted out, offering a nervous smile. “I-If you want to make one for me, that is.”

“Of course I would, Ruby.” Pyrrha insisted sweetly, smiling at her again. “I could even do it today, if you really want me to. I don’t know how well they’ll hold up to your pancakes, though.”

“I’m sure it’ll be better!” Ruby squeaked out. “You made it, after all.”

Weiss clearing her throat, giving the trio a dry glare, drew Ruby out of her awkward stupor. “As entertaining as I’m sure Yang is finding your awkward flirting, we do have things to discuss as a group.” Oh, right. Wait! Flirting?! No no no that’s not what they were doing at all, Ruby didn’t flirt! That’s silly. And incorrect! Her and Pyrrha were just talking! Jaune gave Ruby a light shake, drawing her from her distraction, Weiss giving the younger girl a rather stern look. “We need to go over what we learned from yesterday.”

“Do we?” Yang asked, leaning back in her chair. “We caught Torchwick, what’s the worry?”

“There’s a lot to worry about,” Jaune replied, sitting up a little as he tried to look as serious as possible. “We might’ve caught Torchwick, but his friend got away, and we still don’t know all that he was doing with the White Fang.”

“They were moving things to the southeast,” Blake interjected, Ruby noticing the relieved look on the cat Faunus’ face now that they were getting to something serious. “It sounded like they have more of those Paladins there.”

“Do you think they have a base out there, then?” Ruby asked, sounding a bit nervous as she offered a worried look towards the brunette. “Well, I mean of course they have one if that’s where they’re moving them, but like… what could they be planning?”

“I’m not sure, but whatever it is, it can’t be good.” 

“Well, maybe without Torchwick, they’ll be too delayed to carry out whatever plan they have?” Jaune asked, sounding a bit hopeful. 

“We can hope, but we shouldn’t be afraid to prepare for the worst.” Ren offered, his serene tone shadowed with a seriousness it didn’t always carry. 

“If the White Fang has more of those Paladins, we should tell Professor Ozpin.” Weiss insisted, drawing attention from the table towards herself. “He can inform General Ironwood. The General won’t stand for the White Fang using his machines against him.”

“I’m sure he already knows,” Nora spoke up, much to the Atlesian’s surprise. “What? It’s not like Ozpin doesn’t know we fought one already, and wouldn’t have told the General. We should be careful, if he tries to find them with those armies he brought, he’ll just send them scattering, he won’t stop any of them.”

“Nora’s right.” Blake confirms, giving the shorter girl a thankful nod. “The White Fang would be quick to disappear, but they wouldn’t be gone.”

“I…” Ruby frowned, looking down as she tried to think of what to do. “Did you get anything from the nightclub, Yang?” She asked, hoping to at least have more information before making a decision. 

“Well, Junior didn’t know anything about what Torchwick wanted,” the blonde shrugged, looking rather annoyed. “That said, Pyrrha asked him something?”

“Oh! Yes,” Pyrrha jumped up slightly in her seat, smiling nervously at Ruby as she gave the shorter girl a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder. “I asked him about… the Thief and the Butcher. He didn’t have much to say, unfortunately. He mentioned that their style matched an assassin who used to be active until a year ago. He said the name “Black,” but didn’t sound too sure about it.”

“That’s… better than nothing, I guess.” Ruby sounded a little saddened, but offered Pyrrha a weak smile. “I… I’m not sure what to do. Part of me wants to go to Ozpin with what we have, but… it’s not much, and like Blake said, that would just result in the White Fang being even harder to track down.”

She felt a hand on her leg, giving a comforting pat. Looking to her left, she saw Jaune smile at her. “Hey, you don’t have to worry about that right now, let’s just enjoy the rest of breakfast. We can think about that stuff later.”

“Y-yeah, you’re right.” Ruby nodded meekly. “We don’t have to worry about it just yet. Let’s just have a nice morning, everyone!” The younger girl squeaked as Pyrrha gave her a reassuring side hug, smiling down at her, before offering her a bite of _her_ pancakes instead, Yang letting out another cackle at the silver-eyed girl’s flustered reaction. “I-I, um, okay.” Ruby took the bite, surprised to see that apple and cinnamon went well with the pancakes, but glad that they tasted good. Weiss stood with a sigh, bringing her things to the dorm’s kitchen, Blake quick to join her in leaving. 

“Don’t worry about them,” Yang said, waving a hand dismissively. “They just don’t like the PDA. I should probably get out of here, too. Let you kids have fun.” Ruby’s older sister ended her statement with a wink, causing the redhead to squeak in embarrassment, ducking her head down as her cheeks warmed again. 

“Yaaaang!” Ruby whined, as her sister stood up and gathered her and Blake’s things. “You’re being weird again!” She wasn’t sure why she didn’t just refute what her sister said, it was weird and wrong and she wasn’t dating Pyrrha or Jaune, why would they want to date her? She was just Ruby Rose, not anyone important. 

“Hey, it’s fine.” Jaune’s voice drew her out of her negative thoughts, Ruby looking up to him as he gave a reassuring smile. “She’s just teasing, right? That’s what she likes to do.” She could tell that Jaune seemed to want to say something else, but she wasn’t sure what. “Let’s finish these off, before Nora starts taking from our plates instead of just Ren’s.” Looking over to the shortest girl at the table, Ruby found Nora giving her a wide, almost malevolent grin, eyes darting towards her plate. 

“Y-Yeah.” Ruby nodded sheepishly, turning to her plate to take another bite. “I’m really glad you guys liked my pancakes. I was worried I’d be a bit rusty.” 

“I already told you, Ruby, of course we loved them.” Pyrrha insisted, smiling gently at the younger teen. “I don’t know how I can compare.” Wait, why were they comparing? Was that weird? She didn’t think she could compare at all to her friend, Pyrrha was so beautiful and strong, the thought of Pyrrha feeling that way towards her made her stomach twist weirdly. 

“I don’t know what you mean,” Ruby squeaked out, looking wide-eyed towards the taller redhead. “Y-You’re really cool and awesome, I’m nothing like that.”

“You don’t give yourself enough credit.” Jaune replied from behind her, ruffling her hair playfully. “I think you’re pretty cool, too, Ruby. I just hope I can live up to your and Pyrrha’s example.”

“None of you give yourselves enough credit.” Nora interrupted, laughing as the trio blushed at her. “Seriously, you’re all really cool, but none of you have any confidence. Come on, Ren, let’s go, maybe they’ll get things cleared up without an audience.” What was _that_ supposed to mean? Nora! Don’t run off after saying that, that just makes things worse!

“Er, right…” Jaune chuckled nervously, scratching at the back of his neck, Ruby looking curiously up at him. “Ruby, Pyrrha, do you two want to hang out, later? I know going to Vale might not be the best place to go right now, given all of what happened yesterday, but there’s some cool places at Beacon we could go. I-I know that we need to talk to Ozpin, soon, at least to find out what uh… punishment we’ll have, for yesterday’s activities, but… after that?”

“Oh?” Pyrrha gave Jaune a perplexed look, which he responded to in the slightest of nods. “Certainly, maybe we could visit the gardens again? Or just relax on the roof?”

“Um, s-sure.” Ruby nodded nervously, looking between the duo. “If you want me there, I’m happy to be there.”

Two pairs of arms wrapped around her, eliciting a squeak. “Of course we want you there, Ruby. We always will.” Pyrrha insisted, smiling down at the younger girl. “Now come on, let’s finish up so we can see the headmaster.”

Ruby gave a slightly more confident nod, smiling up at the duo, before they returned to their meal.


	13. Finally!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby and Jaune talk to Ozpin about what they've learned from Operation: Snuff the Candle, and then join Pyrrha for a very important discussion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a ton of fun to write, I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I have! I'm really proud of it, but like always, I could use feedback. 👉 👈 
> 
> Please comment if you have any feedback, reviews, criticisms, or just wanna leave a nice message!

"A base in the southeast, you say?" Ruby felt a bead of sweat rolling down her neck, Jaune's hand tightly holding hers as a show of support while the duo explained the events of the night before to Professor Ozpin, the Headmaster's ever-calm demeanor far more intimidating than Professor Goodwitch's severity. It was the first time he'd actually said something since they'd begun their explanation, and it quickly rendered the room silent. Despite his somewhat overwhelming presence, though, there was still that strange look of familiarity in his eyes she had associated with what she assumed a grandfather would give.

"Y-yes, sir." Ruby nodded nervously, eyes darting anywhere but the professor, inspecting the unusual design of the top of the CCT tower. It was weird to have the Headmaster's office here, overlooking one of the most important buildings in the Kingdom, though part of her wonderful if perhaps that was because the building had originally been a part of of different building in the old castle that was converted into the academy after the Great War. A squeeze from Jaune's hand told her she'd gotten distracted in her anxiety again, and she reluctantly turned her gaze back to the headmaster, who merely gave her a polite smile, not even hinting at impatience. "Blake said that's what Roman Torchwick said. That they had a bigger operation to the southeast. We haven't determined where, yet, but there's a few viable places that haven't yet been overrun by Grimm."

"Is that so." The professor sounded as though he was pondering something, placing his mug down, reaching for his scroll with his spare hand. "Perhaps I should inform the General. I'm sure he would be happy to send his armies into the southeast to scour out the White Fang wherever he finds them."

"Um, with all due respect, sir." Jaune took the lead for a grateful Ruby, who sent him a relieved smile. "Well, we think sending a ton of soldiers to try flushing them out will have the opposite effect as intended."

"Please, Mister Arc, explain." Ozpin's voice wasn't really angry, but a bit dry. The headmaster peered at the duo from behind his unusual spectacles, Ruby getting the impression that the veneer of impatience he was putting on was for show, something to encourage them to continue. Deciding that was the case, she gave Jaune's hand an encouraging squeeze, smiling up at the blonde, who looked as nervous as she was.

"Well, it's just… the White Fang, they're a guerrilla operation, right?" Jaune posited, his shoulders slacking with relief at the headmaster's curt affirmative nod. "If they get the hint of anything that might spook them, they'll go to ground and disappear. It'll be a huge waste of resources and you'll have nothing to show for it."

"An astute observation, Mister Arc." At the hint of a proud smile on Professor Ozpin's face, Jaune and Ruby let out audible sighs of relief, smiling awkwardly at each other. "As of now, we still lack enough information to safely make a strike against the White Fang here in Vale. Now then, what were you two planning on doing next?"

"We, um… we weren't sure." Ruby admitted, taking the reins so Jaune could relax a moment. "We could go looking for more information, but we weren't sure exactly where to look, now. Y-  _ our _ source in Vale didn't have anything that could help with the investigation, and security at future White Fang meetings will probably be way up."

"Correct." Ozpin placed one hand atop the other, resting before him on his desk. "I want you and your teams to take the next few weeks off from this investigation, Miss Rose, Mister Arc." Ruby was about to say something,  _ anything, _ to make him reconsider, when Jaune gave her hand another squeeze, calming her a little. "I do not intend to simply take the reins from you completely, Miss Rose, but as of right now, your teams do not have a safe avenue with which to continue. I ask that you give us time to extract information from the man you so diligently detained, so that we may find where to act next."

"I…" Ruby frowned, eyes downcast as she tried to think it over. There was still a lot of unanswered questions to think about, but it sounded as though Professor Ozpin wasn't intent on cutting them out of their quest to handle the White Fang in Vale. He just wanted them to rest. A reassuring squeeze of Jaune's hand showed that he was with her - that their teams were with her - no matter what. Offering a grateful smile to the blonde, she looked back to the headmaster, who looked like he almost had a pleased smile on his face, though it had definitely disappeared as soon as she looked up. "We can take a break, sir. At least until we have more information. Torchwick is behind bars, so hopefully they'll be disrupted enough to delay whatever they're doing."

"I'm glad to hear it, Miss Rose." The professor offered the slightest of smiles at that, nodding his head slightly. "Now, we must discuss your teams' punishment for your… extracurricular activities." Oh, right. That's technically why they were here. Aw, shucks, hopefully it wouldn't be  _ too _ bad, but the worry was definitely present. Expulsion seemed off the table, but suspension might not be! What if their stipend was docked?! Ruby wouldn't be able to buy her favorite weapon magazines! Oh no this was terrible! "Detention, for one week. With Professor Greene."

Oh. That wasn't too bad. Ruby wasn't sure how she felt about the professor yet, but the fact that she'd talked about her mom had certainly earned her points to Ruby. "Yes sir, we understand." She said, bowing her head. "Is there anything else you need us for?"

"No, Miss Rose, that will be all." Professor Ozpin calmly stated, dipping his head slightly towards the students. Jaune and Ruby gave nervous smiles, starting towards the elevator before Ruby stopped abruptly. "Do you have a question, Miss Rose?"

"Um…" Ruby looked a bit hesitant to ask, despite the support Jaune was offering. Taking a deep breath, she looked back at the headmaster. "Sir, there was one other thing we learned. W-Whoever got Torchwick and the White Fang to work together, they have an enforcer who might be tied to an assassin called "Black." We don't really have much else to go on than that, but I thought you should know."

“Thank you, Miss Rose. I’ll be sure to keep that in mind.” At his response, Ruby gave a nervous nod, joining Jaune in front of the elevator while they waited for it to arrive. The door opened with a chime, revealing a tall man, black hair greying in some places, dressed in an immaculate white uniform. “James, perfect timing. My students were just leaving.” James? Why did that sound familiar?  _ Wait. _ This was Atlas’ headmaster?! Ruby stared wide-eyed, Jaune having to pull her along a little as they entered the elevator, the conversation between the two headmasters muffled by the door’s closing. 

Letting out a loud sigh, Ruby slumped against the elevator’s wall. “That was… intimidating.” Jaune noted, sitting beside her and offering a smile. “I wish Professor Goodwitch would’ve let Pyrrha up with us, but I guess she wanted to make sure it was just team leaders.” 

“That would’ve been nice.” Ruby agreed, offering a tired smile towards the blonde. “Talking to Ozpin is so difficult… I-I know he’s a good guy and he means well, but it’s just like there’s this pressure! I don’t know how to describe it.”

“Yeah, I feel that.” Jaune nodded, smiling gently at the redhead, who let out a soft sigh. “Um, so… Pyrrha and I are… I want to ask her to help set you something up for this afternoon. Do you mind letting us work on that for a little bit? I promise we won’t take too long, Ruby.” 

“Oh, um, sure.” That was a little disappointing, but hey, it sounded like they wanted to do something cool, so Ruby would be able to handle being alone for a bit. A small smile crossed her face. “Take as long as you two need, I’ll be in the courtyard, I think I want the fresh air.” 

“Sure, we’ll come get you when we’re ready.” Jaune squeezed her hand again, both of their cheeks warming a little as they stood, the elevator finally reaching the main floor. “I’ll go grab Pyrrha, hopefully we won’t take too long.”

“Okay! S-See you later!” Ruby gave a nervous wave, smiling sheepishly. Her stomach seemed to knot a little when Jaune gave a warm smile, waving back. Gosh, now Jaune was doing it, too, not just Pyrrha. Why were their smiles getting to her so much? Shaking her head, Ruby let out a tired sigh. Time to get her book and do some reading.

* * *

Ruby let out a reluctant sigh, closing  _ The Third Crusade _ and placing it in her bag. She’d tried to do some reading, but she was just too tired to focus on it properly. Rubbing at her eyes to try and fight off some grogginess, the redhead stood up and stretched her arms. Her dad told her doing stretches sometimes helped get some energy back when feeling tired, and it certainly hadn’t failed her yet. 

It had been about an hour since she talked to the headmaster with Jaune, and the thought of him and Pyrrha doing something nice for her hadn’t really left her head, either. It made her feel… it was hard to describe, maybe “butterflies in her stomach?” That was how Yang described getting weird feelings from people, but Ruby wasn’t sure it was correct. This was the first time  _ anyone _ had made her feel this way, and they were two people, instead of one. 

At that, her thoughts drifted back to what Pyrrha had told her just before the end of the first semester, about polyamorous relationships, which were apparently more common in Mistral. It was hard to imagine it, but after what Pyrrha suggested about her mom and dad and Yang’s mom maybe loving each other at the same time, she couldn’t deny that it had crossed her mind occasionally. 

“Hey, Rose.” Ruby furrowed her brow as she looked up, seeing the stocky figure of Cardin Winchester towering over her. Her eyes squinted slightly as she leered at him a little, not trusting the older boy for a minute after all the grief he’d given her and her friends in the first semester of classes. Holding his arms up in an ineffectual surrender, he gave a cocky smile. “Hey, come on, I don’t mean any harm. Maybe a different name would work better? I can call you Red or something. Thinking about it, you’re pretty short. Maybe Little Red?”

“Don’t call me that.” Ruby felt her chest tighten as she thought back to the night before, to Roman’s words as he tried to catch her. “What do you want, Cardin?”

“Aww, don’t act like I’m being a nuisance! I’m being nice,” the older teen insisted, reaching out to grab Ruby’s arm, only for her to step back. “Look, I know we got off on the wrong foot-”

“Got off on the wrong foot? You’ve been bullying me since I started at Signal!” Ruby exclaimed, some of her discomfort fading away, only to boil into anger. “You started bullying Jaune as soon as you saw him! Getting off on the wrong foot is what happened between me and Weiss, not the way you were treating me!”

“Come on, Red, I’m trying to apologize, here.” Ruby flinched at the attempted nickname, hands clenching tightly. Cardin stepped a little closer, reaching out to put a hand on her shoulder, causing her to step away again. “Why do you have to be so focused on that scrawny waste of space, anyways? He’s useless, not like me, yet I have to see you being all buddy buddy with him all the time.”

“He’s my  _ friend _ , I wouldn’t expect a lug like you to understand!” Hands clenched tightly, Ruby felt her chest rising and falling in agitation as Cardin continued to try and get closer to her, stepping away each time he closed the difference. “All you do is bully people who you think are weaker than you, but we’re stronger, Jaune proved that when he saved  _ you _ from that Ursa!”

“Hey! Don’t bring that up. It was just a fluke!” Cardin’s cheeks darkened with embarrassment and anger, the larger boy reaching out quicker this time, grabbing Ruby by her wrist. “Here I am trying to be nice and all you do is act out! You’re acting like a brat!”

“Let go of me, Cardin!” Ruby insisted, tugging at her hand as she tried to get free of his grasp. Despite him being an objectively worse Huntsman than she was a Huntress, he  _ was _ strong, and his grip tightening as she pulled against him. Suddenly, it felt as though something knotted up inside her had been undone, and a familiar sensation overtook her as her hand slipped through his grasp in a blur of rose petals. She stepped to the side as he stumbled forward without something to exert force on, falling to the ground. "Go away, Cardin."

The older boy got to his feet, looking ready to protest, when his expression fell, shoulders slacking as he looked towards the ground, turning away. "Are you okay?" A familiar hand touched her shoulder - had Ruby really become so used to Pyrrha's touch to call it familiar - as Ruby looked back to see the older redhead smiling at her, not a warm smile like usual, but more one that was forced, concern heavy in the taller teen's eyes. “We came as quick as we could when we saw him, I’m sorry we weren’t here sooner.”

On seeing Pyrrha, Jaune not far behind, Ruby’s eyes widened with relief and she gave the older girl a hug worthy of her sister, Pyrrha giving out a huff of surprise. “I-I wasn’t sure what to do.” Ruby admitted, speaking against Pyrrha’s chest as she clung to the girl. “H-He wouldn’t go away, even after I asked. A-And when he grabbed me I just…”

“It’s okay.” Pyrrha said, her voice soothing as she gently ran a hand through the younger girl’s hair. Ruby looked up at her, eyes red and teary, the taller redhead smiling regretfully at her as she wiped a tear from the silver-eyed girl’s cheek. “You didn’t do anything wrong, he just didn’t get it through his thick skull that you didn’t want to talk.”

“I was scared.” Ruby admitted, sniffling as she continued to hold onto the older girl. “His hand kept getting tighter on me and I just…”

“You used your semblance.” Jaune commented, keeping his distance a little as the two hugged, looking rather ashamed of being unable to help. “It didn’t look quite the same, but… that’s what happened, isn’t it? It was like you just turned part of yourself into rose petals.” 

“I-Is that what happened?” Ruby asked, looking over to Jaune, offering a nervous smile. “I just wanted to get away from him.” 

“It’s okay,” Pyrrha repeated, trying to soothe the younger girl. “I’m sorry we weren’t there, but it’s okay. If you want, we can talk to Professor Goodwitch about this, I’m sure with his prior behavior he would be punished.”

“I… not right now. I just don’t want to think about it, about him.” Ruby slowly let Pyrrha out of her arms, clenching her hands tightly for a moment. “If he does something like that again, I’ll tell her.”

“If you’re certain.” Pyrrha looked Ruby in the eyes, a little saddened by the younger girl’s nod. “Very well. Still, I think I should teach him a lesson…” The older girl, pondering for a moment, before shaking her head, offering Ruby a warmer smile. “I’m sorry, that doesn’t matter right now. Do you still want to hang out with Jaune and me? I understand if you don’t, given what happened.”

“I-I think I would.” Ruby nodded slowly, smiling up at the older girl, then looking to Jaune, who still looked rather conflicted. “I want to spend time with the both of you… it’s nice.”

“Then let’s,” Pyrrha took the younger girl’s hand into her own, offering her other hand to Jaune, who sheepishly accepted it.

* * *

Entering the gardens, Ruby followed Jaune and Pyrrha as they led her along. She still felt a little raddled from earlier, but she was glad to have her closest friends here, her hand still snug in Pyrrha’s. “So, um… where are we going?” She asked, ducking her head sheepishly, looking up to Pyrrha. 

“Oh! Well, um,” Pyrrha’s cheeks colored a bit, eyes darting to Jaune before back to Ruby. “We, um, set up something for you… A, um, picnic.” Wait, why was  _ that _ so embarrassing to Pyrrha? It sounded kind of sweet, if not a little cute. “I-I made sandwiches, Jaune prepared some other things.”

“You made sandwiches? That sounds like it’ll be really yummy!” Ruby chirped, smiling widely, doing her best to push negative feelings away and focus on the moment, watching as Pyrrha’s eyes widened with a hint of delight. “I’m so glad to have you two… a-as friends! You’re my best friends.”

“I, um, actually,” Jaune spoke up, as they neared the little area the older duo had prepared. “We wanted to talk about that, Ruby… i-if it’s okay.” Wanted to talk about it? What was there to talk about- had she done something wrong? Did they not like her? No, stop thinking like that! They were her best friends, if they wanted to talk to her, it didn’t have to be something bad. She wasn’t at Signal, they weren’t just trying to get closer to Yang by being her friends. She offered a nervous smile, nodding, doing her best to believe that whatever Jaune and Pyrrha would bring up was something positive.

The trio sat down on a blanket, one of the ones they school provides for the dorms, a basket placed on one end, while Ruby sat between Jaune and Pyrrha on the other. The older girl put her hand on Ruby’s again, offering an encouraging squeeze. “Ruby, we… I think this has been on Jaune’s and my mind for a while, and we just…” Pyrrha inhaled nervously, trying to calm herself, while the shorter redhead looked up at her curiously. “No, maybe it’s better to explain it like Yang had us… Jaune, m-maybe you can go first?”

“Oh! Um, sure, yeah.” What did Yang have to do with anything? Why were Pyrrha and Jaune so nervous? “Ruby, you’re one of my best friends in the world, just like Pyrrha.” The shorter girl felt her cheeks warm a little at even the comparison between the two of them, given how beautiful she found Pyrrha in her errant thoughts. “When I first met you the day before initiation, I was just happy to have found a friend. You were… you were a lot like me, a bit awkward about social stuff, but I could tell you had a beautiful heart. You kept me company after I found you at the farm, opened up to me about things I had no right to request of you.” 

“I like you, Ruby. I  _ really _ like you. The same way I like Pyrrha.”  _ What _ ? There was no way she was hearing right. “I know that we’re friends, and I hope that no matter what, that won’t change between us, but I just… I needed to let you know that. You’re one of the most important people in the world to me, a-and I hope that you could say the same about me.”

“Ruby,” before the shorter redhead could respond to Jaune, Pyrrha began to speak, lacking some of the confidence Ruby had loved to see her express around her. “You’re one of the most wonderful people I know, you’re kind, caring, sweet, and have always done your best to help me, even when most people would just see an untouchable monument. You’ve always… you’ve always treated me as human, not a legend.” Pyrrha’s hand tightened gently around hers, the older girl breathing in before continuing. “I know you have trouble seeing yourself as beautiful, after how people tried to use you to get a chance at your sister, but those people were blind. A far more lustrous gem was right before them, and they overlooked you.” 

“I-I don’t…” Ruby felt a lump in her throat, her stomach twisting as her eyes darted between the two. 

“Ruby, I like you. I have for a while, now. Do you think you could find it in your heart to be with me- and Jaune? Together?” Ruby looked wide eyed at the duo, eyes watering up. “I-I’m sorry if I’ve done anything wrong!” Pyrrha blurted out, worried at the younger teen’s reaction, before petals blurred around them and a pair of surprisingly strong arms pulled Jaune and Pyrrha together, bringing them to the ground. 

“Y-Yes!” Ruby agreed, embracing them both with all her strength, tears of joy running down her cheeks. “I-I was worried that I was weird- f-for feeling this way about the both of you!” Ruby admitted, sitting up and looking at the two, her cheeks a brilliant red that matched her cloak. Wiping a few tears from her eyes, she smiled even brighter than before. “I-I… Jaune, I don’t know when I started feeling this way towards you. I-It wasn’t immediate, at first I was just glad to have a friend who didn’t really know who Yang was, someone who just wanted to hang out with me for  _ me _ , not someone else.” Her eyes turned then to Pyrrha, silver glimmering brilliantly. “Pyrrha, I don’t know how it happened, I-I used to think I didn’t like  _ anyone _ , let alone girls or boys. B-But you’re the most beautiful person I know, a-and I really like you, you’re always so kind and considerate of me, even when you should be worried about yourself.”

Taking in a deep breath, Ruby’s smile softened, as she took Jaune’s and Pyrrha’s hands into her own. “I would love nothing more than t-to be with you, a-as your girlfriend. You’re my best friends in the whole world, a-and this is… this is a dream come true.”

“It really is.” Pyrrha said softly, sitting up slowly, smiling at Ruby as she wiped a few tears from her own eyes, “I… I don’t have a lot of experience with relationships, b-but I hope that I will be an acceptable girlfriend to both of you.” 

“Huh.” Jaune looked a bit blankly at the duo, before smiling sheepishly. “S-Sorry! I’m really happy, I just didn’t think I was the guy with the most experience with relationships.” The two stared blankly at him, causing him to pout at their disbelief. “What! I-I had a pretty serious relationship back in Domremy with a boy named Arain. I-It broke off because he disagreed with my goal to go to Beacon, just like everyone else.” 

Ruby tightened her grip on Jaune’s hand, trying to be as supportive as possible. “W-Well then he’s a big dummy! Pyrrha and I would never stand in the way of your dream to be a Huntsman, Jaune. That’s… that’s part of who you are, and anyone who thinks otherwise didn’t really know you at all.”

“She’s right, trying to stand against someone’s dream like that is the worst thing that a person could do to the person they loved.” Pyrrha agreed, smiling at the already blushing blonde, who ducked his head sheepishly. “If he truly didn’t agree with your dream, then he was blind to who you really are, Jaune, just like the people who overlooked Ruby. You’re both far too wonderful for that, I only hope I can live up to you.”

“Don’t be silly, Pyrrha, you’re going to be wonderful. All of us are new to this kind of relationship, and are bound to make a few mistakes along the way. Let’s just agree to all do our best.” Jaune announced, smiling brilliantly at the redheaded duo. Peeking past them, he held back a chuckle. “And maybe we can get started on this picnic, before the sandwiches go bad.”

The trio burst into chuckles at that, before agreeing to get to their meal. 

* * *

Groaning, Roman Torchwick stood back up, hucking the mess of spit and blood in his mouth at the guard who had just punched him. “Thanks for that, really! Just what I was looking for today.” The guard leered at him, going for another punch, before a curt clapping of hands caused him to stop, reluctantly withdrawing. 

“Really, Roman, why can’t you be more reasonable.” The well dressed man at the other end of his cell asked, adjusting his tie. “We used to have such a good rapport between the two of us, and now this? It’s really a shame.”

Barking out a laugh, Roman gave a bloodied grin. “You know, August, you remind me a lot of Bully Boy. Did he get his looks from his dad?” At the way silver eyes narrowed behind the man’s sunglasses, Roman grinned further. “Ah ah! Don’t spoil the surprise, I don’t want to know.”

“This could have been far easier if you had just  _ cooperated _ .” August announced, stepping back and nodding to the guards. “Whatever you have planned for Vale, I will find it out, and I will stop. Whatever…  _ delusions _ you have about my proclivities, keep to yourself. We will speak again, tomorrow.” 

The master thief chuckled, grinning at the Councilman as he retreated, only stopping briefly as one of the prison’s silent escort turned around briefly, eyes blinking pink and brown.  _ Good, _ the man thought as he gritted his teeth through the next punch,  _ this won’t have to continue for long. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh I should say, on the off chance you haven't read the previous works in the series, they are referenced a bit in this one, like Pyrrha's talk with Ruby in the previous semester, and the farms/first day of school.


	14. The Champion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pyrrha has had enough of Team CRDL, their leader Cardin in particular.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you'll all enjoy this! I really enjoyed writing the first half, but admittedly the end is a little bit rocky for me. I'd appreciate any feedback I can get on it!

Pyrrha Nikos had lived what she considered to be a very fortunate life. Although her father passed before she was born, one of many Huntsmen to die before his time, she was raised by a loving mother, and, in time, stepmother. While they were by no means wealthy in her childhood, they lived comfortably enough in Argus, always within sight of Sanctum Academy.

Having grown up to the stories of her father, Pyrrha knew she wished to be a warrior from her earliest memories, playing with a foam javelin with her mother. When she told her stepmother she wished to train to become a Huntress, she was encouraged, a tutor hired to help her unlock her Aura and begin training. He was an old equine Faunus warrior, unwavering in the ferocity of his training, but proud of her success. When she unlocked her semblance at the age of eleven, he cautioned her that the wisest and greatest tool a warrior had on the battlefield was deception.

So she trained, tirelessly, mastering the subtle use of her semblance in the art of combat, weaving it with perfect form and peerless skill. When she won her first Mistral Regional Tournament during her first year at Sanctum, people questioned who she was. How had someone who could win the Mistral Tournament at the age of 12 without suffering a single blow have snuck past them for so long? When she won her second a year later, the people of Mistral were left in _awe._ Her family was approached by dozens of people offering to be her agent, hordes of fans seeking a glimpse of the two time champion, numerous corporations seeking to use her name for advertisements. For a time, her family tried to keep a low profile, but it was unending, and eventually they gave in, hiring the agent who seemed most reliable.

Thus began the worst few years of her life. She wasn't allowed to wear certain things, eat favorite foods, she had to put her hair up, and wear armor less practical than she wished. Yes, somethings grew on her overtime, she enjoyed her armor a little more now that she at least had something more than a metal bikini, cucumber sandwiches _were_ unexpectedly good, but that didn't make up for the lack of freedom, and the loss of her friends. To some, she was at the top of the world, but for her, nothing was further from the truth. She missed her life before, even if she was proud of her strength.

Things got worse as her fame grew. Classmates withdrew further, assured that she would not want to interact with them, given her status. The few who remained, scared off by obsessed fans who thought she belonged to them. Her girlfriend, one of the few people who stuck with her, meeting in secret, assaulted by a deranged stalker. Her agent refused to do anything, so Pyrrha's stepmother acted. They taught that man his place in the world, and began to work against the indifferent man who cared more for money than his client's safety. She was stuck in a 5 year contract, one that she could not escape in Anima. So she applied to Beacon.

Many of her fans were heartbroken to see she would not be going to Haven in Mistral, but she was elated. A chance to start anew, without the burdens of her fame. Or so she had thought. No, it seemed she had underestimated the depth of her fame, and even in Vale, she was isolated by their awe. At Beacon, the first person to approach her, Weiss Schnee, sought not a kindred spirit accustomed to a similar level of fame, but instead a tool to rise even higher. Though her opinion of the Atlesian had improved greatly since then, it disgusted her immensely to be seen as nothing more than a stepping stone.

Eventually, she found refuge from the burden of her name, in her partner, Jaune Arc, and through him, his friend, Ruby Rose. She had made several friends at Beacon since her start at the academy, but these two stuck with her whenever able. To her, it was no surprise that friendship had blossomed into something more, they were both two wonderful people, if a bit dense. She was truly grateful to Yang for getting the ball rolling, she wasn't sure she had the confidence to do so on her own. Seeing the discomfort Cardin had inflicted on Ruby, intentionally or not, had been a tipping point for Pyrrha.

* * *

_"What do you mean you asked Goodwitch to pit you against all of Team CRDL?"_

_"Just that, Jaune. After all their antics, they still haven't learned, so I have decided something more hands on is necessary."_

_"Pyrrha, you don't have to do this! Ruby and I can stand up for ourselves."_

_"This isn't about standing up for you, Jaune. For either of you. This is about taking whatever notions of strength Cardin and his team have, and crushing them."_

_"Pyrrha… still, four against one. This isn't an even match!"_

_"No offense, Jaune, but you've never seen me fight at full strength. You're right, it isn't an even match: for them."_

* * *

She was Pyrrha Nikos, the Pride of Mistral, the Champion of Argus, the Immaculate Warrior, but she had an older epithet, long forgotten by all but her mentor: she was Pyrrha Nikos, the Unrelenting, and Cardin Winchester had earned her ire. Tightening the straps of her greaves, Pyrrha took a deep breath, drawing Miló and Akoúo̱ to her with the soft hum of her semblance. No matter what, angry, proud, or disappointed, Pyrrha would repeat the same ritual she had for every battle against another person in a tournament setting, the same chant she had said when using her Aura to draw out Jaune's, though the wording was slightly different when addressing her weapon and shield, for through them, she would speak and listen upon the battleground. "For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance and unbound by death, I release your soul, and by my hand, guide thee."

"Um…" Pyrrha stood, looking to see Ruby standing nearby, a rather nervous look on her face. Pyrrha offered the shorter girl a loving smile, though she dreaded that she might also disagree with the decision she'd made to teach CRDL a lesson. "I-I know that y-you and Jaune had a disagreement about h-how you're going against CRDL today…"

"Ruby…" Pyrrha stepped towards her girlfriend, placing a hand gently on her shoulder, giving a tired smile. "I know you might disagree, but I h-"

"No! Just… just listen!" Ruby insisted, shaking her head wildly at Pyrrha. The shorter girl sighed, looking to the ground, Pyrrha noticing her hands clenched tightly. "I-I know that you and Jaune disagree on this, but… well…" Ruby took a deep breath, before Pyrrha staggered back as the younger redhead launched herself into an embrace. "Thank you." Pyrrha let out a startled gasp, looking at her girlfriend. "I-I know that you aren't doing this because you think I'm weak, b-but I'm still glad. Cardin… he scared me. I don't care whether he realized it or not, but he scared me. H-He wouldn't let go and I… thank you."

Pyrrha brought her arms in around the girl, returning the embrace. They remained for only a short time, but it felt wonderful. As they separated, Pyrrha leaned down, placing a gentle kiss on Ruby's forehead. "Then I'll dedicate this to you. Head on back to the stands, I don't want you to miss it."

Ruby gave a jilted, somewhat rigid nod, her face a brilliant scarlet that made the champion chuckle, before taking a few steps back, disappearing in a cloud of rose petals. Smiling, Pyrrha took a few errant petals in her hand, clenching tight as she slowly walked through the hallway leading to the floor of the auditorium. Stepping into the arena, the air was buzzing with the whispers of the audience, people amazed that the Invincible Girl had actually challenged someone, albeit an entire team, to a duel. The dim of voices was broken by a loud "go Pyrrha!" from her girlfriend, causing Argusean to smile gently, raising Miló high into the air, pointed at her. Ruby gave a muffled squeak, sitting back down as the room stared at her, Pyrrha smiling sweetly at the sentiment.

Turning her gaze on her assembled foes, Pyrrha's gaze sharper into a leer, smile turning to a frown. Her grip tightened on Miló, left foot shifting slightly forward as she readied herself for the duel to start. As the word "begin" left Professor Goodwitch's mouth, the champion sprung into action, kicking off with her right foot, spinning on her left toe, pushing all the momentum into Akoūo̱, the shield launched like a discus. Flying across the battlefield, her shield collided with the short, stout member of CRDL, Dove, if she recalled correctly, sending him flying into into the unarmored member of the team, Russel.

As the two struggled up to their feet, Pyrrha was already on the move, jumping into the air as she recalled Akoūo̱, ensuring it looked as seamless as possible so onlookers would assume it merely skill, which it was, after a fashion. Pirouetting in mid air, she deflected several shots from Sky Lark's gunhalbard, launching Miló at the blue-haired boy in return, the javelin sending him spiraling backwards as the blow to his chest caused his Aura to drop considerably. 

Cardin stared in unconcealed awe, fear growing in his eyes as they met Pyrrha's emerald, the Invincible Girl smirking at him as she flourished Miló for the crowd. In the span of about 12 seconds, she had completely thrashed his teammates, who were all barely hovering above 50% on their Aura meters. She didn't even let the stout boy try to rally his team, Akoūo̱ spinning towards him as soon as he turned towards them. Even as he parried the shield, she was upon him, thrusting with her weapon in javelin form before very swiftly switching to sword, continuing to strike as it did.

Pyrrha's smile remained on her otherwise serious face as she dodged an attempted horizontal strike from the large boy, ducking down and rolling below his splayed legs as Russel tried to strike her back, the lanky boy instead striking his leader while Pyrrha cut at Cardin's ankles, causing Team CRDL's team leader to let out a cry of pain as he lost his balance, the buzzer sounding as he landed roughly on his teammate, the bulk of his armor crushing Russel's Aura. 

Leaping up from her position crouched on the ground, Pyrrha caught the previously deflected Akoūo̱, spinning in the air as she sent it spiraling towards Dove, who had just aimed his sword-revolver at her and taken his first shot, the Fire Dust bullet exploding harmlessly against the shield's razor edge. Akoūo̱ collided with his face, bouncing down towards the floor as the boy clenched his head in pain, leaving himself open. Directing it slightly, Pyrrha caused her shield to bounce off the ground and back into him, throwing the stocky boy backwards with the sound of the buzzer as it hit his stomach.

Recalling her shield as she dashed forward, Pyrrha brought Akoūo̱ up to block several shots from Sky's weapon, weaving in between those she didn't block. Switching Miló back into Javelin form, Pyrrha sent it flying with the sound of a round firing from the rifle mechanism, accelerating its speed as it struck the blue haired boy in the exposed dip in his chest plate, the buzzer sounding once more. 

Leaping into a backwards flip, Pyrrha avoided the explosion caused by the ignition of the Dust mechanism at the head of Cardin's weapon, rolling as she hit the ground. A good attempt, attacking her while she was disarmed, but he forgot one thing: she was the Immaculate Warrior, and she had never been struck. She wasn't planning on her streak ending today, lunging at the lumbering boy as he slowly brought his mace back up. Launching Akoūo̱ upwards with a left hook, she sent him staggering backwards, his weapon clattering to the side. Glaring at the taller boy, indigo eyes widened with terror, as Pyrrha brought her right hand back, before thrusting forward with a powerful punch. The entire hall was silent at the satisfying crack of his nose breaking with the shattering of his Aura, the champion not even attempting to hide her pride as she offered a hand to the armored boy in a show of sportsmanship, one he surprisingly accepted, staggering as he got to his feet, free hand clinging to his now bleeding face.

"Woooo, Pyrrha!" Ruby's proud show of support for her girlfriend caused Pyrrha's cheeks to warm, the rest of the room breaking into a shocked applause, save a few students. Despite her embarrassment at the Silver-eyed girl's antics, Pyrrha didn't find her proud smile fading. While this was certainly not the most difficult fight of her career by any means, she had enjoyed putting her all into a fight, even if her main drive at the time was fury.

"Well done, Miss Nikos." Professor Goodwitch had that hint of pride in her otherwise stoic voice as she looked at the champion, who bowed her head politely in return. "A bit more decisive than you usually go for in class, though given you requested this as an official match, I am not surprised you gave it your all." Pyrrha watched as the professor turned her gaze towards her opponents, looking rather disappointed. "Team CRDL… you did about as well as could be expected against a superior opponent. While you were scattered at the start, you attempted to attack in pairs, and used a mix of ranged and melee attacks. Please see your leader to the infirmary." The team looked to each other, nodding as they accompanied their leader out of the room. 

* * *

"Still want me to go up against her?" Cinder looked to her underling, Mercury, who was giving a cocky smile. The demi-Maiden considered for a moment, before shaking her head. 

"No. We already know her semblance from our dear Neopolitan. There is no need to draw attention to ourselves further." Cinder's eyes darted towards her other servant, Emerald, who was forcing her best smile as the Rose girl excited chatted about the match that had just concluded. "We've seen that she's quite skilled with it, too. If Roman's pet hadn't told us, I would truly have been fooled by her performance."

"She's skilled, I'll give her that." The gray-haired boy agreed, leaning back in his seat with a dismissive look. "Still, she's _nothing_ without that semblance, my father would've made mincemeat of her."

"Yes, well, you certainly made sure that wouldn't happen." Cinder's lip raised in a smirk. Always good to remind him of his place as the _replacement_. They may have been able to adjust the plan well enough to accommodate his presence, but he was no Marcus Black. "Do go save our dear Emerald, would you. She looks ready to stab that girl."

"Aww, do I have to?" The glare she shot him shut the boy up quick enough. There had been too many setbacks in the last week, and Cinder was in no mood for Mercury's jokes. The assassin clapped his mouth shut, doing as commanded, liberating Emerald from her current task socializing with the girl who had been such a thorn in their sides of late. Better to keep your enemies close, yes? Especially when you had no need for friends.

* * *

“Um, so…” Ruby looked nervously over to Jaune, the duo awaiting Pyrrha as she changed after the fight. The class had ended soon enough after Pyrrha’s duel against Team CRDL, a brief fight between two students from other academies following. “Um, what did you think of the fight?”

“I, well… it was amazing.” Jaune admitted, his cheeks coloring slightly. “I-I knew she was a good fighter, we all knew that, but… watching her fight was beautiful. She’s just… brilliant.”

“Right?!” Ruby squealed gleefully, grinning. “The part where she double tapped Dove with her shield was awesome! A-And every time she jumped to catch it was… gosh she’s just so wonderful!”

“I’m glad you think so.” The duo jumped in fright as their missing piece arrived, freshly dressed back in her school uniform. Jaune and Ruby turned a bright red, eyes darting anywhere but Pyrrha, causing the taller redhead to chuckle softly. Offering a hand out towards each of them, she gave them a gentle smile. 

“A-Are you sure it’s okay?” Ruby asked meekly, ducking her head slightly as she took the hand. “I-I know that some people might be weird about us b-being… us.”

“I…” Pyrrha took a deep breath, shutting her eyes. She didn’t want to be bound by her past as she had been, she wanted to be with them- openly. To be proud that she had found something like this, something she hoped to call love, though she wasn’t sure it was time yet to do so. Squeezing the younger girl’s hand gently, she nodded, a soft smile on her face as emerald eyes met silver. “I would love nothing more than to be open about this, I… I’m tired of hiding because of my fame, Ruby. But…”

“You’re worried that we might be affected by it.” Jaune filled in, looking nervously at the duo. “I can’t speak for Ruby, Pyrrha, but… I’m not afraid of that. There’s no way I’m going to hide my feelings just because of some ja- jerks in Mistral.”

“Yeah!” Ruby nodded enthusiastically, before pulling the two into a tight embrace, holding it for several seconds before stepping back and looking up at them. “You two are… you’re really important to me, a-and there’s no way I’m hiding who I am just because of some dummies who don’t even know us! If they have a problem with it, they can get over it!”

A soft sigh escaped Pyrrha’s lips, the redhead looking at her partners and smiling. “I don’t know why I ever worry with you two, you’re the very essence of resilience.” She took their hands, this time with more conviction. “We should get going, before Yang starts to talk.” 

Ruby chuckled loudly at that, smiling brightly. “You’re right, we wouldn’t want her to get any weird ideas. She’s the best at spinning silly stories, maybe even better than Nora!”

“Well, at least with her stories, there’s an element of truth.” Jaune retorted, sticking his tongue out. “Yang _never_ braided my hair, don’t listen to her lies.” 

“Sure thing, Jaune.” Ruby sounded absolutely skeptical of that, Yang had told her about that without even intending it to be teasing. “Let’s go!”

* * *

“Glynda, I’m surprised to see you here in the middle of the day.” Ozpin looked up from his mug, brow raised with a hint of concern as one of his most trusted confidants arrived with the chime of the elevator. “Is something amiss on campus?”

“We may need to reconsider our candidate.” Glynda was treated to a rare sight, that of Ozpin showing a genuine face of surprise at her suggestion. Indicating she should sit with his free hand, the headmaster took a sip from his mug. “She requested a fight today, which might not have been unusual had she been any other student. But Pyrrha Nikos requesting to fight a whole team, only to make it a one sided beatdown? That is… irregular.”

“And what inspired Miss Nikos to engage in this fight, exactly?” Ozpin leaned forward slightly, trying to look attentive as his mind crossed a thousand possibilities. Who could he choose as the next maiden if not Miss Nikos? She was without a doubt one of the strongest students to ever pass through Beacon Academy, with her, the Maiden’s power would be contained safely, out of _her_ reach. 

“I… believe it to be because she has entered a relationship with Miss Rose and Mister Arc.” Glynda explained, hating how much she sounded like a needless gossip. “This would not be out of the ordinary, Huntsmen and Huntresses are prone to more unusual lifestyles, a result of their chosen profession, no doubt. The issue is that Mister Winchester and his team made a poor habit of harassing other students during the first semester of classes, Miss Rose and Mister Arc included. Though their actions have tapered down since their suspension following the incident in the Forever Fall, I fear she has held quite a grudge.”

“Hmm. I’m not sure if that is truly of concern right now, Glynda. We may _want_ someone with a more assertive personality than we first saw in Miss Nikos.” Ozpin noted, setting his mug down. “After all, we do not want a Maiden who will fall at the first sign of trouble. Now, more than ever, we need that strength, especially motivated by affection as it sounds hers is.” 

“What she did today was unnecessary, Ozpin.”

“That remains to be seen, Glynda.” He had his typical passive look across his face while he took a sip from his mug. “We should keep apprised of developments, though. Especially since August has been exerting influence here in the Kingdom after so long away at Caer Rhosyn. He may mean well for the Kingdom, but he has proven to make poor decisions in the past.”

“You are worried about his intentions towards Miss Rose?” Glynda asked, keeping herself as stoic as ever, though Ozpin could spot the concern in her eyes, the same she had for any of her students. “It was my mistake allowing him anywhere near that crime scene.”

“You could do little to stop him, absolute power may not lie with the monarchy any longer, but he is still afforded a seat at the Council, perhaps something I shouldn’t have allowed in hindsight.”

“You were trying to do well by your daughter after the war, Ozpin, you cannot be faulted for that.”

“Perhaps, but I have a bad track record in trying to do well for my children.” Of that, he did not elaborate, instead changing the subject. “What has James said about providing some specialists for an operation to snuff out the White Fang’s operations here in Vale?”

“Of course he agreed, though he’s also requested rights to provide security for the entire festival.” Glynda sighed, rolling her eyes. “He’s far too blind to the fact that his soldiers cause discomfort for the citizens of Vale.”

“Well then, hopefully we can have everything solved _before_ the festival is here, and he can send his soldiers home.” Ozpin retorted, though he sounded absolutely certain that wouldn’t be the case. “Glynda, please keep an eye on Miss Rose’s situation. While I do not think I could ban a member of the Council from campus, I can at the least ensure that he does not have an opportunity to bother her if it becomes a problem. I will consider your concerns on Miss Nikos’ candidacy, but as of right now, she is the ideal option.”

“Very well, then.” Glynda sighed, standing. Ozpin had no doubt she wasn’t pleased with his unwillingness to budge, but as far as he was concerned, Miss Nikos had not acted out of line. There were far more pressing matters to be concerned with than the Maiden’s powers right now, though they were undoubtedly an important factor. For now, he merely hoped that James’ specialists would be up to the task.


	15. Practice makes Perfect

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the evening, now, and the sound of metal colliding with metal fills the air above the Beacon first years' dormitory, as Jaune and Pyrrha continue his training.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back!!! Sorry I took so long, the weekend was a bit rough for me, between someone I thought was cool with me being a jerk and me dealing with some covid stuff, it was hard to write. 
> 
> I hope you'll all enjoy this chapter a lot, I know I did. Please leave feedback if you're able! Criticisms, reviews, even just a nice little comment can really help.

Taking in a deep breath, Jaune tightened his grip on Crocea Mors, shifting his left foot slightly forward as he faced Pyrrha. It was a cloudless night, the glittering of stars only obstructed by the verdant light that always seemed to emanate from the CCT tower at the center of Beacon's campus. Across from him, the champion held a stance that mirrored his own, Miló in sword form, Akoúo̱ raised in front of her. "Begin."

Eyes narrowing ever so slightly, Jaune charged forward with a shout, air bending around Crocea Mors as he channeled his aura into the strike. Not surprisingly, Pyrrha had already moved to dodge, no matter how close he thought he’d gotten this time to actually landing a hit. She always seemed to be just inches ahead of him, though now he realized she could do so much more than that. He had never really appreciated the skill level she actually _had_ to be held in such renown, and now that he’d seen it, as inferior as he might feel, there was a sense of honor to the fact that she’d chosen to train _him_ of all people. 

Raising his shield up, he planted his feet to the ground, absorbing the blow of her first strike, Miló crashing against the shield in its sword form. She tended to keep it that way for their training, something he guessed had to do with wanting him to learn the sword and shield style better before moving on to making him fight against the versatile weapon’s other forms. Pushing forward off the strike, Jaune hoped to dislodge the weapon from her hand, though he wasn’t successful in even making her grip uncertain. Taking a deep breath, he looked at Pyrrha, who gave him a playful smirk. 

_Yep_ , he thought to himself as he tried to keep his focus, cheeks warming, _still not used to that_. This was the first time they’d be training since… making their relationship official, with Ruby as well. Sure, he’d been feeling this sort of stuff for a while, but looking at Pyrrha now had an added level of embarrassment, one she didn’t seem to mind exploiting. Kicking off from the ground, Pyrrha brought Akoúo̱ into a bash, one Jaune did his best to withstand using Crocea Mors’ shield. 

Oof that was going to hurt in the morning, his whole arm seemed to tremble, even with the benefit of aura, as the shields collided. Gritting his teeth, he fought through the pain, attempting a lung with his sword, though Pyrrha of course managed to dodge it. Still pushing through the pain, Jaune retreated a few steps, recentering his footing as he tightened the grip he had on sword and shield. Giving a shout, he charged shield first, intent on catching his girlfriend off guard with a bash from his shield. 

Pyrrha’s smirk returned, Jaune gulping as the determination fled his face, looking wide-eyed at her as she gracefully slipped to the side. He tried to turn, really, he did, but he didn’t have the agility his partners shared. Akoúo̱ struck his side, knocking the wind out of him as he went to the ground. His aura held strong, but it did little to help with the pain, the blonde giving a tired sigh as he leaned back, letting go of his sword and shield and looking at the stars. Though the lights of the campus, and Vale not far away, diminished the visibility of the stars in the sky, he could still spot quite a few. 

“Well, you’re getting better.” Pyrrha said warmly, standing over the blonde, looking down at him with a gentle smile. He wasn’t sure how true that was, but it was nice to think she thought so. Squatting down, she offered him a hand. “What’re you looking at?”

"Well, I _was_ looking at the stars, but now something more beautiful has come into view." Jaune gave his best attempt at a suave voice, smirking as his girlfriend's face lit up a similar hue to her hair. Unfortunately, she then started laughing, his attempt at flirtatiousness diminished despite the minor success. Reaching a hand up for her to help him stand, he pouted. "Come on, it wasn't that bad!"

"No! No, you're fine! Really!" Pyrrha insisted through a gentle giggle, helping him up with a sturdy pull. Giving a sheepish shrug, Jaune smiled at her nervously. “Sorry, I’m just not used to you flirting like that. I don’t know if you can pull it off. N-Not that I didn’t enjoy it!”

“It’s fine, I get it.” Jaune chuckled, though he couldn’t hide his downcast face. “I’ve never really been a super… manly kind of guy, I guess. But, hey, at least being here at Beacon has helped me with my muscles!” At that, he flexed his arms, though that only made Pyrrha chuckle more. Giving a wide-eyed pout, Jaune looked pitifully at the redhead, though she could tell it was of course more playful than actually guilting. 

“Oh, don’t look so disappointed, I can’t help it. Seeing you try is just so endearing.” Pyrrha insisted, slipping her hand into his. He felt his cheeks warm as they looked at each other, the Argusean taking on a hue befitting her hair as well. Well, at least he was endearing. Jaune smiled, his face reddening further as Pyrrha gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek. "Now come on! Let's get back to work, or you won't be able to improve at all."

Jaune gulped nervously, nodding as he made his way back to his spot on the roof. Pyrrha had just _kissed_ him! Yeah, it wasn't on the lips or anything, but still! This was a test, he convinced himself, to see if he could focus despite his romantic attachment to his partner. It wasn't, but he did his best to tell himself it was that. Pyrrha walked up behind him, causing the blonde to give a startled jump, the champion chuckling gently at him. “All right, Jaune, just like we practiced. Shield up.” Guiding his arm up to a proper position, the shield held high to protect him, only his eyes visible above the shield’s top. Her right arm drifted along his, hand resting above his as she closed his hand on Crocea Mors’ grip. “Keep your grip tight.”

“Don’t forget to keep your front foot forward,” Jaune said, before she had the chance, shifting his left foot slightly further forward. He could tell she was smiling at him, even if he didn’t look at her as she did. The very fact he remembered her instructions, even partly, was good, given how poorly he’d started off. She let her hand rest on his shoulder briefly, giving a gentle squeeze in a show of support, before taking several steps back.

“Ready?” He nodded, inhaling slowly as he focused on his task. “Go.” Jaune stepped forward, bringing Crocea Mors down in front of him as he pushed his aura into his arm to strengthen the strike, giving a shout as he slashed down. “Again!” Stepping forward with his left foot now, he advanced as he struck horizontally this time, already moving into the next strike as she started to instruct him to attack again. 

The two continued for the next hour or so, until Jaune’s scroll went off alerting them that it’d reached ten pm. As much as they would like to continue, it was a weeknight, and they had classes in the morning. “I guess that’s it for the night?” He looked to Pyrrha, wiping the sweat from his brow. 

“Of course.” She agreed, smiling gently at him as she brought Miló and Akoúo̱ to her back with the gentle hum of her semblance. “Do you want to say goodnight to Ruby?” 

“Of course,” Jaune said, almost playfully as he repeated her. Though a bit tentative, he slipped his hand into hers, offering a nervous smile as she gave a gentle squeeze. “Do you think she had a good time tonight, even though she couldn’t come watch while we trained?”

“I’m sure she did, Weiss was helping her study, right?” Pyrrha said innocently, though Jaune doubted it would be fun at all, given Ruby’s prior complaints of her partner’s expectations. “I don’t know why she finds it so interesting to join us while we train. She barely even watches.”

“But she reads, I think she finds it a little soothing, spending time with us.” Jaune’s cheeks warmed again. “I-I know I find it nice, spending time with you and Ruby.”

“I think we all enjoy spending time with each other, Jaune.” Pyrrha reaffirmed, gently squeezing his hand again. “Having you both agree to be with me… it was one of the most wonderful things to happen in my life. I would give anything if it meant staying with you both.” 

“Hey, don’t think of it like that. I don’t want any of us to give up things to make this work, and I don’t think we’ll have to, either.” Jaune insisted, smiling at her as he opened the door back into the dorm. “Now come on, let’s see if Ruby is able to say goodnight.”

* * *

“Ruby, what did I say about combining the Fire and Lightning Dust?” Ruby was not having a good time, not at all. Ever since Weiss found out she was close to failing Dust Science, one of the two classes Professor Peach taught (and in Ruby’s opinion, the worse one, Plant Studies was cool!), her partner had decided that the offer to mentor her was no longer optional. 

“Not to do it?” The redhead meekly asked, looking the Atlesian in the eye, trying not to chuckle at the ash that covered Weiss’ face, and likely her own. She… may have not been paying the best attention to Weiss’ advice, it was just so _boring_ ! Why did she need to know all this stuff about Dust anyways, when it was in bullets it didn’t matter! _Yes_ , Blake had cautioned her about maybe needing to fill her own bullets sometime, but… that was a long time away, right? “Sorry, Weiss.”

The heiress sighed, blowing a few ashy strands of hair that had been undone from her ponytail out of her eyes, before offering the redhead a sympathetic smile. “Ruby, I know that it’s not easy, and you had to skip some of the classes that would’ve been fundamental in getting you this knowledge when you skipped ahead to Beacon, but you’ve got to give this your all.” Ruby nodded meekly, at least happy with the knowledge that her partner was trying to be accommodating. “Now come on, take a look at this formula. And add _I_ _ce_ Dust next time, not lightning. We want the two to counteract, not amplify.” 

The silver-eyed girl nodded again, slightly more confident as she complied with her friend’s instructions. Now if only it wasn’t so quiet when they were working on this kind of stuff. She wanted to bond with Weiss, after their talk on Saturday. She knew things had been knocked a little off track by that fight with Torchwick, but Ruby was doing her best to put that past her for now like Professor Ozpin instructed. “So, um… What do you think Penny is up to?”

“Penny?” The way her partner’s voice squeaked slightly at the mention of the synthetic girl made Ruby giggle slightly, stifling at the harsh leer Weiss gave her. “I suppose she isn’t up to much, at the moment.” The Atlesian commented rigidly, pushing up an air of haughtiness as Ruby continued to do her Dust Science work. “Hopefully things are adequate for her right now, I know General Ironwood is doing the best he can, but I’m sure that she wants to try doing things with her friends again.” 

“I hope so.” Ruby agreed softly, frowning a little at the thought of her friend all alone all the time. It just wasn’t fair, Penny was such a nice girl, why should something she couldn’t even help like the fact that she wasn’t “born” properly mean that she can’t hang out with friends? “Maybe the General would let us hang out with her, if we asked?”

“No!” Weiss blurted out, looking a bit panicked, letting out a frustrated sigh as she shook her head at the redhead’s suggestion. Ruby was wide-eyed, surprised by her partner’s outburst, something the Atlesian seemed to recognize, her face relaxing, though she didn't offer a smile. "Ruby, we cannot just… _ask_ the headmaster of Atlas Academy and General of the Atlesian military to just… let us interact with one of his students, especially one he doesn't want people knowing about." 

“I guess that makes sense.” Ruby didn’t bother to hide the disappointment in her voice, frowning at the rather explicit denial of her idea. She understood Weiss’ reasoning, but it still really stunk that they couldn’t just get to see Penny. “Do you, um, do you think you can tell me a bit about Atlas? Only if it’s okay!”

The Atlesian let out an affectionate sigh, smiling slight at Ruby’s panicked expression upon asking a question. “Only if you focus on your work,” Weiss chided, though there was the hint of a smile on her face. The redhead let out a pout, turning to her work, tongue poking out the corner of her mouth as she erased an incorrect answer. “Atlas is… a complicated place. If you asked me a year ago, I would’ve only sung praise for “the Kingdom in the Sky,” but now… I can’t help but say that maybe we have our heads in the clouds far too often.”

Weiss chuckled at that, smiling slightly. “Atlas… we want to do the best for the world, to guide them into the future, but doing that has led to us overlooking ourselves, and our sister city, Mantle. I can’t say that I have all the answers to the problems there, but-” Ruby coughed nervously, looking up at her friend as she tried not to giggle. “What?”

“Weiss! I meant tell me about what _living_ in Atlas is like.” Ha. The look of realization that dawned across her partner’s face was _hilarious_. It took every ounce of self control to not giggle, though the solemn look that Weiss took after made her humor disappear. “It’s… it’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it, Weiss. Really. Maybe we can talk about how both of us lived, me on Patch, you in Atlas?”

“I-I would like that very much.” Weiss agreed, Ruby switching pencil hands to give her partner a reassuring squeeze on the hand. The Atlesian smiled meekly, looking to the redhead with a nervous blush. “Um, can you tell me a bit about what it was like living with Yang as a big sister? I-I know that’s technically not about Patch but… I have a big sister, too. Winter. She’s been such an inspiration to me, but she acts a lot different than Yang does.”

“Tell you about what it’s like living with Yang as a big sister? Sure!” Ruby nodded, her focus divided between the schoolwork and her partner, offering the Atlesian a friendly smile. “Yang is… Yang is a _lot_ . She’s loving, she’s doting, she’s considerate… she doesn’t respect privacy well, she likes to joke around and tease, she doesn’t always understand that I don’t really _get_ things like she does…” The smile on Ruby’s face grew, both a little happier, and a little sadder. “She… after mom died, she’s practically become my mom. She took care of me when I was young and dad couldn’t, she always helped me with my schoolwork - she’s a lot smarter than she looks - and she’s always there if I need a hug.”

“It sounds like you love her a whole lot, not that we couldn’t tell.” Weiss noted with a teasing voice, though it sadden Ruby to hear a hint of longing behind it. The Atlesian gave a tired sigh, redirecting her partner’s attention to her classwork before speaking. “Winter is… Cold, in a word. Not in a bad way, but… she’s strict, but she loves me. She wants to make sure I’m ready for the world, and won’t be another pawn of my father. She… she left, to become a member of the Atlesian military. She’s a specialist, now, she joined the corps immediately after graduating Atlas Academy and has been on the fast track to leadership ever since. But… I wish we were closer, like you are with Yang.”

“Hey! I’m sure you can be, if you want to.” Ruby smiled gently at her partner, placing a hand on her back and rubbing gently to try cheering the older teen up a little. “I-I won’t pretend to know how complicated your family is, Weiss. Everyone’s family is complicated in different ways, but yours seems to be really, _really_ complicated. S-So I won’t just say it’ll be easy to fix, but… She cares about you, right? Then I think it’ll be worth it, to reach out.”

“Yeah… you’re right.” Weiss returned the smile, though she looked a little hesitant still. “Do you think you can tell me about something else? About Patch? Who lived there?”

“Patch was a pretty mellow place, I’d say. If there’s one big problem with it, it’s the Winchester family.” Weiss clearly recognized the name, a flash of disgust crossing her face before fading to curiosity. “They’re old money, from before the Great War, and they helped fund the initial settling of Patch about a hundred and ten years ago. Unfortunately, that means they have rights to most of the land, and after one of them… I think maybe Cardin’s uncle, or grand-uncle, died during the Faunus Rights Revolution. Remember that guy, General Lagune? He served with him during the failed attack on Fort Castle. You know that’s a really funny name, why would they name it Fort Castle? That’s almost the same as saying Castle Fort! That just doesn’t make a lot of-”

“ _Ruby_.”

“Right! Right!” Ruby blushed, embarrassed she’d let herself get off track. She’d been getting better about it but sometimes her mind just wandered, it wasn’t her fault. “Right, so, um. They’re in control of most of the real estate, and let’s just say that Cardin’s view of the Faunus is a learned behavior. They don’t let Faunus move to Patch, and the places they don’t own are usually more on the unsettled part of the island, where Grimm are more common. We live there, but I think that’s because my mom beat up Cardin’s dad at Beacon. And that’s fine, we’re a family of Huntsmen and Huntresses. Most Faunus just want an escape from the city, they don’t want to fight for their lives.”

“That sounds very unfortunate,” Weiss lamented, shaking her head. “Also very familiar. Most Faunus in Atlas are laborers, and… they don’t live in Atlas. They live below in Mantle, waking up at unfathomably early hours and taking flights up to the city so they can tend to the many wealthy people living in Atlas. There are _some_ Faunus who do live in Atlas, but even then, they live near the edge of the city, which is notably less safe. I… I think I know of one Faunus who isn’t a servant that I’ve met, and he was adopted. He’s a little older than us, I think he went to Atlas Academy?”

“I guess some things aren’t too different between where we live, it’s just unfortunately nothing good.” Ruby gave a sad smile, before a look of curiosity crossed her face. “Hey, Weiss, um… I know about your dad, but what about your mom?”

“I…” Oh no. The look of heartbreak that crossed her partner’s face immediately made Ruby regret asking. Had… had she lost her mother, too? How had she not known. She felt awful, what kind of partner wouldn’t know that? “It’s… nothing as honorable as your mother, or… awful as Yang’s. My mother…” Ruby decided now wasn’t the time for school work, despite it all, she needed to help her partner. Grabbing some nearby tissue, she wiped some of the tears from her friend’s face, offering her a sympathetic expression. Not quite a smile, but not a frown, either. 

“It was my tenth birthday. Father… he missed the big dinner, and mother… got mad. He… He finally admitted it - I think part of her always knew - he had only married her for the family name. I… I probably knew, too. But hearing him say it finally pushed her over the edge.” Weiss looked up to Ruby, but the redhead could tell the smile on her face was forced, wrapping her arms around the Atlesian girl as she began to cry softly. “First, it was separate lunches and dinners, opposite balconies at my recitals. A-A glass of wine here, a glass of wine there. Then, there were no dinners, no recitals, a bottle of wine here and… well… She rarely leaves the gardens or her menagerie now. A-And she’s… it’s like she’s gone, even when she looks at me. All I do is hurt her when she sees me, a reminder of my father.”

"That's not fair." Ruby said softly, doing her best to console her partner. "Your dad still sounds awful, but your mom sounds… I-I never really knew my mother, you know, but I've always been proud of her. Of her choice. To sacrifice herself for the good of the innocent. B-but it doesn't sound like your mom had a choice at all.” 

“Your mom… reminds me a bit of my uncle.” As Weiss pulled back from the embrace to give the redhead a confused look, Ruby smiled sadly. “I love my Uncle Qrow… he’s my mentor, and he’s an important part of my life, but… I-I don’t think there’s a time he doesn’t reek of alcohol. He drinks… a lot. He carries a flask with him. I-I don’t understand why he does it, o-one time when he was passed out on the couch downstairs, Yang and I took his flask and each took a sip. It was gross and made me feel sick. I-I don’t know what happened, to make him need to do that, b-but it reminds me of how you describe your mom. Maybe he’s more functional, but…”

“He’s still not always there.” Weiss offered, Ruby nodding in response. “I… I wish you didn’t have to know what it felt like, even if it’s not the same.”

“I wish you didn’t, Weiss.” Ruby managed to give a smile, genuine however difficult it was to manage. “You deserve to have a mom who isn’t absent.”

“Thanks, Ruby.” Weiss was clearly still a little sad, but the redhead could tell her mood had improved a little. Hopefully just having someone she could talk to had helped a lot. “Now we should get back to your classwork, don’t think you’ll get out of it just by making me cry.” Ruby gave a pitiful pout, though she could tell her friend was teasing to change the subject and get her back on track for the night. “That one’s wrong, you’ve switched the amounts of Ice and Gravity Dust.”

“Awww, shucks. I thought I had it.” 

“Maybe next time, you’re getting better.”

“Thanks Weiss!”

A knock on the dorm’s door drew the duo’s attention away from Ruby’s work, the redhead looking at the clock and realizing what it meant by the time. “Just a minute, Weiss.” She asked, her partner reluctantly agreeing as Ruby stood up, going to the door, trying to contain the little bubbling up of excitement she felt. Opening the door, she found Jaune and Pyrrha. It was clear that they had just finished up training by the sweat on their brows, but she didn’t really mind. “Hey guys!” She chirped, smiling widely.

“Hey, Ruby!” Jaune gave her a wide smile, hand still intertwined with Pyrrha, who waved with her free hand. “How’s studying going?”

“Oh, uh, it’s um… it’s going!” Ruby mumbled, Weiss giving a sardonic chuckle from her bed. “How was training?”

“It’s going wonderfully.” Pyrrha said warmly, the smirk that danced on her lips briefly giving Ruby the idea that it might’ve been more than the training that had her in such a good mood. “Jaune’s gotten so much better in the past couple months. I think we’ll be ready when tryouts for the Vytal Festival come around.”

“That’ll be awesome!” Ruby jumped up gleefully, eliciting a chuckle from the duo in the doorway. “I can’t wait for Team RWBY to beat you in the tournament!” The shorter redhead announced with a smirk, cheeks rosy as Pyrrha gave a gentle chuckle, reaching out and ruffling her hair. 

“I look forward to it. Now we’d better get going, have a wonderful night, Ruby.”

“Not yet!” Just as Jaune and Pyrrha started to step away from the doorway, petals filled the air as they were brought together in a tight hug, Ruby looking up at the two and smiling without a hint of sheepishness. “I, um, like you guys a lot! Have a good night, w-we’ll eat together in the morning, right?”

“Of course,” Jaune nodded, as the duo brought their arms around Ruby, returning the embrace. “But really, we need to get going, we still have to get cleaned up before bed.” The blonde chuckled nervously, Ruby sticking her tongue out in disgust playfully as they parted. “Good night.” 

As Ruby returned to her dorm room, she found Weiss putting away their things, the redhead giving the Atlesian a perplexed look. “It’s getting late,” Weiss explained, smiling gently. “We can finish up before you have breakfast with them. I know you like to get up early, I’ll try to as well.”

* * *

It was around 1am when the sleek white airship touched down on the skydocks that led up to Beacon Academy, General Ironwood and Professor Ozpin waiting patiently as the small escort of Atlesian Knights stepped out, followed by a tall man, standing a few inches above even the General, and a shorter woman, who looked rather similar to one of the students now attending Beacon Academy in the first year. 

“Specialist Reed reporting for duty, sir.” The taller man announced with a salute, the headmaster of Beacon Academy giving the man an examinatory glance, before turning his eyes to the woman, awaiting her introduction.

“Specialist Schnee reporting for duty, sir.” Ah, that would be the connection. Winter Schnee, the elder sister of Weiss Schnee, currently among his academy’s first years, and, conveniently, tied up in this investigation as well. 

“Thank you, Specialists. It’s late, I’ll escort you to your quarters, we can have a more formal meeting tomorrow morning.” The two relaxed their postures some as the General spoke, though Ozpin would have to say he wasn’t quite fond of the way Atlas had so easily meshed Huntsmen in with its military. That was an argument for another day, however, and it was late. 

“Thank you, James. Specialists, it’s good to meet you. We’ll go over what we know in the morning, I’ll be sure to clear my schedule.” Or more accurately, dump whatever he’d had planned before on Glynda, but this wouldn’t be the first time. Hopefully she’d be more forgiving than the last time, given the circumstances. 

“Thank you, Oz… for giving me the chance to show you that my way will work.” Ozpin wasn’t quite sure he agreed with the General on that statement, but he was, reluctantly or not, allowing James to bring two of his specialists into Vale. Hopefully, they’d be of some help.


	16. Sunrise Meeting Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waking up to an unexpected message, Ruby finds herself and her team called to an early meeting with the headmaster.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhh sorry for how late this took! Was a bit busy over the past couple days. Not the most pleased with this one, but getting it out is important for the next. 
> 
> Please comment if you have any feedback, reviews, criticisms, or just wanna leave a nice message!

Ruby’s eyes were barely opening before the blaring sound of her scroll filled her ears, the silver-eyed girl sitting up with a reluctant groan. Wait, that was strange, she could’ve sworn she set her alarm for 6am, but according to the room’s clock, she was being woken up by her scroll at 5:30. Scrambling around her bed for the small device, Ruby grabbed it, finally silencing it before looking at the screen with bleary eyes. “Huh?” She wondered aloud, blinking some of the tiredness from her eyes. She had a message? At  _ 5:30 in the morning _ ? That was… way too early. 

Tapping the screen, the message opened, and the silver-eyed girl could only groan again.  _ Team RWBY is requested to meet with Professor Ozpin at 6:30. _ Meeting the headmaster? Did this have to do with what happened over the weekend? Well, probably. Either way, that really stunk. She’d have to get everyone up so they could get at least somewhat presentable before meeting with the headmaster. 

Slipping from the hanging bed with a light “thump” on the ground, Ruby noticed her sister’s partner shift uncomfortably in her bed. Darn those cute cat ears, making her hearing so sensitive! As the cat Faunus stirred from her sleep, the redhead sent her an apologetic smile. “Sorry, Blake.” She whispered, a groan from the brunette her only response. “I’ll explain after I’m cleaned up.”

Creeping through the room on her tiptoes, Ruby did her best to keep quiet as she slipped into the bathroom. She didn’t really like coming in here, not after what’d happened after she’d seen Mister Tukson’s body. She knew it was irrational, but there was a lingering sense of shame that she felt, despite Blake’s insistence that it was okay to struggle with what she’d witnessed. 

Turning on the shower, she was quick to get out of her pajamas and under the water. Looking at herself, she frowned at the still present bruising on her chest after Torchwick had caught her with the Paladin. She knew it was going to still be a few days before everything was back to normal, but she didn’t want to feel weak. Shutting her eyes, she shook her head, trying to turn her thoughts towards Jaune and Pyrrha. They wouldn’t want her to feel so down on herself, they’d want her to be more confident. She wasn’t sure if she could really manage that, but she’d at least try not to focus so much on her failure. They’d captured Torchwick, things would be okay. Next, they would stop the White Fang from whatever they were trying to do, and make sure they returned to their more reasonable actions. She could understand their shift towards more forceful protests, but robbing Dust shops, especially ones that  _ did _ serve Faunus without a fuss, wasn’t helping. 

With the help of her semblance, Ruby quickly finished in the shower, did her hair (what little there was to do), washed her face, and got changed, though she always had to slow down when it came to the ribbon. Finally finished, she moved on to the most difficult part, waking the rest of the team. Blake might be awake, if she's lucky, but Weiss and Yang were both deep sleepers. If Weiss hadn't destroyed her whistle, she'd have turn to that, but in this case, she'd have to go for her last resort. A chorus of groans erupted as Ruby set the lights to their maximum setting, the redhead dropping to the floor as she dodged a frustrated pillow to the face.

"Come on, Team RWBY!" The redhead exclaimed, not giving them a chance for respite. "We've got forty-five minutes to get ready to go meet Professor Ozpin, so we can't waste a minute! Yang, you can shower later, your hair takes too long!"

Ruby didn't manage to dodge the second pillow, giving a startled squeak as it crashed into her face. Looking to her grumpy sister, Ruby stuck out her tongue out in retort, barely holding back a giggle. Thank goodness the walls were relatively thick or they'd have to be concerned for neighboring teams. "Ruby?" Her attention was drawn to her partner, now that she was safe from errant pillows sent her way. The heiress gave a soft yawn, stretching her arms out as she sat up. "Why are we up so early? I know I said I wanted to get up to help with you schoolwork, but this is-" she stopped to yawn abruptly, "this is too early."

"Sorry Weiss. Professor Ozpin wants to see us." At her partner's suddenly furious glare, the redhead gave a nervous "eep," shoulders raised as she leaned back meekly. Darn those leers were so powerful, it's a wonder Weiss's semblance hadn't been glaring at people. Holding up her scroll, she desperately waved it in front of herself. "See, I got woken up early by a message calling us to the professor's office, it's not my fault, really!"

"Oh, give me that!" Weiss exclaimed, snatching the scroll from the redhead's hand, Ruby whimpering in response as her partner looked over the text, looking rather irate. Relief flashed across Ruby's face as she saw her partner give a reluctant sigh, handing the scroll back to the silver-eyed girl. "Well, hopefully we won't be in any trouble." That much they could both agree on, Ruby really didn't want to get in more trouble than they already had. "Could've given us better notice, though. I suppose as Huntresses we'll have to get used to early mornings. You missed the part where Professor Goodwitch will be picking us up, though."

"Oh! Sorry, it must've come after the first message." That or she was just in a panicked hurry at the start of her day. One or the other, really. "Thanks again for the help yesterday, Weiss. I'm sorry the plan got all messed up."  _ Again. _ "I'll make sure to do better next time."

"Ruby, you don't need to apologize." Oh. Ruby looked up at her partner, a bit surprised that she wasn't at fault, after all she was the team leader. "You can't control random things happening, and much as it'd be nice to. Probability manipulating is a very rare kind of semblance, and you definitely don't have it."

"That's a thing?!" Ruby blurted out, wide-eyed as she stared at her partner, the Atlesian looking not at all pleased with the younger girl's outburst. "Sorry! I just didn't know."

"Ruby, you're fine." Weiss said with a sigh, affectionately rolling her eyes at the redhead's antics. "I need to get at least a quick shower, so if you'll excuse me, I'll go encourage Blake to hurry up. Probably don't have the time to wash my hair, so I'd-"

Weiss slowly trailed off as she left into the bathroom, leaving Ruby alone with Yang, who seemed to still be asleep. Looking around the room awkwardly, Ruby sat down and took a look at her Dust Science classwork. She hadn’t even touched the section on Gravity Dust, but she wasn’t confident taking a crack at that without Weiss’ help. At the very least, she could review what she’d gone over the night before, nibbling at the top of her pen as she looked over the classwork. “Hey, sis!” Oh thank the Brothers this was too boring, Yang was a welcome distraction. “What’re ya looking at?” 

“Oh, just some of my Dust stuff…” Ruby gave an ineffectual shrug, leaning back a bit to look at her sister, who had just finished changing. “Did you sleep well?” Maybe a bit of a useless question, given her sister’s propensity towards deeper sleep than her own, but still a nice gesture, at the least. 

“Slept like a rock,” Yang said, ruffling the redhead’s hair, much to Ruby’s chagrin. “At least until  _ you _ decided to wake us up early. Hopefully this’ll be worth it.”

“I’m sure it’s important, Yang.” Ruby chided, doing her best to put up her “team leader” airs, though it was hard to pull off that sort of thing when her big sister was on her team. The blonde didn’t look entirely convinced, but that was probably the best she was going to get out of her this early in the morning. “Professor Goodwitch is going to be meeting us in like… twenty minutes, so we probably won’t be able to eat until after we speak to Professor Ozpin.”

“That’s fine, not  _ all _ of us need a dose of cookies just to survive the morning.” Yang teased, giving Ruby a cheeky grin, a mischievous glint in her eye as she spotted something on her sister’s face. “Dearest sister, did you use… lip gloss?” Oh no, of all the things to spot, Yang had to see that. 

“I, um, n-no.” Truly a solid defense, that would hold against Yang’s increasingly wicked grin. It didn’t take more than a few seconds for the silver-eyed girl to relent, trying to avoid eye contact with her sister. “Look! I just… I thought Pyrrha and Jaune might like it…” 

“Awwww! That’s so  _ cute _ !” No! Ouch, stop! Yang had a really firm hold on her cheeks, pinching playfully as she grinned at Ruby. There was a mix of pride and teasing in her violet eyes, which the redhead was glad at least seemed cheerful enough, and not mistrusting of the duo Ruby had found herself enamored with. “I’m so proud of my little sister! To think when we first got here to Beacon you were afraid of making any friends at all!”

“Yaaaaaaaaaang!” Ruby let out a loud whine, squirming to escape from her sister’s vice grip, pouting at the older girl’s teasing. “I-It’s just a little lip gloss I, um, borrow from Weiss. It’s not a big deal! I don’t know how you even noticed!”

“Oh, I don’t know, sis.” Why wasn’t the mischievous glint in her eye fading? This wasn’t fair. She wasn’t equipped to handle a teasing Yang this early in the morning, not without her morning c- wait no that meant Yang was right about her needing cookies! Darn it! “I think it’s pretty impressive. A month ago you’d never be caught using anything cosmetic like that.” 

“I just… Pyrrha and Jaune are really, um… good looking? I don’t know! They just look nice.” Ruby ducked her head at the look Yang was giving her, the violet-eyed girl obviously moments away from laughter again. “I-I just wanted to try to make an effort to look nice like they do. I don’t know what they see in me, b-but I want to make sure that they might like what I look like.”

“Oh, Ruby.” Yang’s tone had switched from teasing to sympathetic, the older girl giving Ruby a familiar warm look that the redhead associated with her sister in “mom” mode. “I know you had some bad experiences at Signal, but you don’t need to worry about Pyrrha and Jaune liking what you look like, they already do.”

“But I’m-”

“My cute, softhearted little sister. You’re already beautiful, you just don’t really understand that.” That much was true, Ruby really didn’t understand it, even if people had been trying to tell her that. It was… hard to imagine that she could be, after so long being compared to Yang. “Now, if you want to use lip gloss, you can, there’s nothing wrong with that! Just don’t think that you  _ have _ to, okay?”

“Okay…” Ruby nodded reluctantly, though it did make her feel a little better to have her sister reassuring her like that. Yang might baby her sometimes, but she wasn’t the kind of person to lie to her about something she wasn’t confident about. “Thanks, Yang.”

“Anything for my little sister.” Yang announced proudly, ruffling Ruby’s hair again as the redhead flailed about in an attempt to escape. “You know I love you, right? I’ll always be there for you. Especially when you’re thinking like a dummy.”

“I know, Yang. I love you, too.” 

“I’m glad to see you two getting along so well, but we should really get ready to go. Professor Goodwitch will be here soon.” Weiss cautioned as she stepped through the doorway to the bathroom, all changed aside from her hair, which was still wrapped in a towel as she dried it.

“Ah! Sorry, Weiss! I got distracted!” Ruby looked over to her partner, who gave an affectionate eye roll. “I’ll be sure to finish up my work as soon as we’re done with the meeting!”

“It’s fine, Ruby. We probably wouldn’t have time to go over it before class, anyways.” Weiss said with a sigh. “Let’s just be sure to finish it in the evening, next time, okay?”

“Okay.” Ruby certainly wasn’t  _ thrilled _ , but that didn’t matter right now. She needed to make sure everyone was ready before they were late.

* * *

Slipping out of the dorm, the rest of her team following behind, Ruby gave a surprised squeak as she saw Team JNPR outside their dorm as well, Ren looking rather tired, Nora leaning against his shoulder, asleep. Jaune’s face lit up as he spotted the younger redhead, squeezing Pyrrha’s hand to catch her attention, the taller girl smiling brightly as she noticed Ruby as well. “Oh, good morning! I-I wasn’t expecting to see you guys up this early.” Wow she was kind of glad that she’d used the gloss after all, even if she didn’t need to, she hadn’t thought that she’d be seeing the duo this early in the day. “Did Professor Ozpin want to meet you guys, too?”

“Yeah. I’m, uh, guessing it’s about what happened with Torchwick, then, isn’t it.” Jaune noted, frowning a bit, though his expression softened as he offered the shorter girl a hand. “It’ll be fine, though, we’ll be up there together, and we have nothing to hide, right?”

“I certainly hope so, Mister Arc.” Everyone paled, but Jaune and Ruby most of all, as Professor Goodwitch addressed them, the middle aged woman looking rather displeased this morning. All the shorter team leader could do is hope that she was more annoyed at the headmaster for making her come get them so early and not at them. “If you are all ready, we can depart.” 

“Yes ma’am!” “Of course, professor!” The two leaders ducked their heads in embarrassment as they spoke simultaneously, the combat instructor rolling her eyes ever so slightly, her expression not fading in severity at all. Jaune and Ruby clamped their mouths shut, looking wide-eyed in nervousness as they followed Professor Goodwitch, the two teams following behind. 

“While I do not agree that we should be involving you children at this stage, unfortunately, this is above my control.” Well that certainly sounded ominous, Ruby and Jaune giving each other concerned looks, Pyrrha picking up the pace of her stride slightly to slip between the duo, giving each of them a supportive hand hold. 

“What do you mean, professor?” The taller redhead asked, given the reluctance her partners showed in speaking. Ruby gave Pyrrha a grateful smile, shifting slightly closer to the older girl, who returned the smile warmly, though she was careful not to lose her attention on the professor for the moment. 

“Professor Ozpin has made the decision to defer to General Ironwood in the investigation of his missing Paladins.” Professor Goodwitch explained, not turning back to look at the children as they approached the CCT tower. “The General wishes to ask you a few questions regarding the events of last weekend, ones he found not answered to his satisfaction during Miss Rose and Mister Arc’s debrief on Sunday.” 

“Are we in trouble?” Ruby asked meekly, sticking as close to Pyrrha as she could, feeling a bit intimidated by the combat instructor. 

“No, Miss Rose, none of you are in trouble.” Professor Goodwitch gave a tired sigh, before speaking more calmly. “I assure you, any annoyance I’m feeling is towards the General’s lack of care for the sleeping schedules of my students. You’ve already been assigned your punishment for your little outing on Saturday, I won’t be encouraging anything beyond that.”

"Thank you, ma'am." Jaune replied, offering a supportive smile towards the shorter team leader, who looked as though even asking Goodwitch that question moments ago was some sort of unforgivable crime. As much as Ruby was sure that there was more to the professor than just the intimidating airs she put on, it was hard to convince herself that it didn't still mean the professor had little time for her inquiries. 

"There is no need to thank me, you are  _ my _ students, not his." The fact that there seemed to be some, if minor, animosity between Professor Goodwitch and Atlas's headmaster was a little concerning to Ruby, but the redhead tried to keep her mind clear of such things right now, focusing on Pyrrha, on the feel of her course hand against her own. 

Pyrrha may look flawless from a glance, and in many ways, she was, but she had the hands of a storied fighter, not that Ruby really considered that a flaw. She had lots of interesting little details that someone could miss at a first look, like the freckles that were only now dotting her shoulders as her skin had begun to tan in the summer months, or the way her eyes really shimmered in the light when she smiled. Ruby's cheeks warmed as she realized she'd been staring up at the champion, who seemed all too happy to let her, leading her along as they'd followed Professor Goodwitch.

"Right." Her attention was drawn back to the deputy headmistress as they stopped in front of the central elevator in the CCT tower, which led to, among other things, Professor Ozpin's office. "Miss Xiao-Long, if you and your partner wouldn't mind joining me, Mister Ren and his partner in the elevator, someone will be along to… chaperone the rest of you momentarily."

The groups split, Weiss looking rather dissatisfied by the insinuation that she might need a chaperone at all. "Um, so," as much as Ruby would love to just hang out with her, well, girlfriend and boyfriend, she didn't want to make her partner feel unincluded. "Weiss, do you have any idea why the General might need to for additional questions?"

"Well, given the number we did on the Paladin, I would say he might want to know if any modifications were made to it." Weiss pondered, pacing around in front of the elevator while the other three stood awkwardly, awaiting the arrival of their… Ruby wasn’t sure that escort was quite the right word, but it wasn’t as though they were all children in need of caretaking either. “Of course, given that we wouldn’t know what they’re supposed to look like normally, he might just ask about the incident in general, and determine from our description whether or not there were modifications.”

“It could be that Professor Ozpin and the, uh, General will need us for something else.” Jaune suggested, shrugging sheepishly. “I know that he wanted us to take the next couple weeks off, at least, but he might still want to keep us apprised of the situation, so we don’t step on any toes?”

Both options sounded pretty plausible to Ruby, enough so that she found herself in the same space of not knowing what they were doing there she had been in before, now just wondering if it was one of those two options, or another. 

“So, this them, then?” Ruby turned to look in the direction of the unfamiliar voice, seeing a tall man beside a woman who looked similar to Weiss. Both were wearing outfits reminiscent of uniforms, with a similar color scheme to the one that General Ironwood had been wearing in the brief moment Ruby and Jaune had encountered him. The white-haired woman opened her mouth to speak, before the sound of Weiss yelling cut her off.

“Winter!” Everyone jumped a little in surprise, save the Atlesians, the woman who looked similar to Weiss - Winter, presumably - gave the younger white-haired girl a severe glare. Ruby’s partner stopped where she was standing, a look of embarrassed shame flashing across her face before she bowed her head, collecting herself. “Your presence honors us.”

“Weiss.” Ruby wasn’t sure if she could exactly call Winter’s response curt, as there was an odd air of politeness to the acknowledgement of her partner, but it was certainly cold. “I see you are doing… well.”

“O-Of course!” Weiss gave a rigid curtsey, Ruby watching on with a raised brow. “I wasn’t aware that we would be meeting you here! Have you accompanied the General here to Vale?”

“I wasn’t aware that you were so foolish to get mixed up in fighting criminals without a license,” Winter’s harsh retort caused the Atlesian teen to flinch, her gaze going towards the ground in shame. “As for why we are here, that’s classified.” The other Atlesian beside Winter gave a forced cough, looking at her, causing the Specialist to roll her eyes. “Very well. We’re going to be debriefed alongside the rest of you.”

“Um… Maybe you could introduce us?” Jaune piped up, standing beside Pyrrha behind Ruby, none of the trio looking particularly sure what was going on. Ruby recognized that the woman was Winter, Weiss’ older sister, but she didn’t really know why she was being so severe. 

“Oh!” Weiss jumped slightly, turning around to face her partner and the duo from JNPR. Standing straight, she puffed her chest out slightly, offering what Ruby would call a manufactured smile. It was there, but something was off about it. “This is my sister, Specialist Winter Schnee. I’m afraid I don’t have the pleasure of knowing her companion, though.”

“Specialist Cedar Reed, ma’am.” The large man supplied, offering a far more affable expression than the frosty one given by Weiss’ sister. “The General is waiting for us, though. Things will be properly explained one we’ve been debriefed.”

Well, that cut off discussion for the moment. Ruby looked nervously up to Pyrrha and Jaune, the champion offering a reassuring smile, though it was clear she wasn’t sure what to do, either. Jaune didn’t look much better off either, giving a sheepish nod. Soon enough, the elevator returned with a chime, the six stuffing inside awkwardly, Ruby sticking close to Jaune and Pyrrha, while Weiss did her best to keep a polite distance from her sister. 

The ride was painfully silent, and as the group stepped out the door and into Ozpin’s office, Jaune let slip a relieved sigh, which drew the attention of everyone in the room. Oh dear, that was a lot of people. Professor Ozpin, General Ironwood, Professor Goodwitch, as well as the rest of Teams RWBY and JNPR. “Ah, how good of you to join us. If you don’t mind, we should get this started.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the cliffhanger! I'll have the next chapter out soon, I just needed to split this up or it was going to be way too long for me.


	17. Sunrise Meeting Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A meeting with the headmaster is intimidating enough, but when you're also meeting with the general of another Kingdom? That's more than a little terrifying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait! Here's part two! 
> 
> Please comment if you have any feedback, reviews, criticisms, or just wanna leave a nice message! ♥

The room remained silent for what felt like an eternity, though Ruby was positive it was more like just a few seconds. The two student teams had gathered in front of Ozpin's desk, Ruby standing beside Jaune at the forefront, Pyrrha standing behind them, while Weiss was at her side. Yang and Blake were the furthest from Ozpin, and by extension, his guests from Atlas, something Ruby was positive was no coincidence, while Ren and Nora were beside Jaune, though it was hard to consider the shorter of the two present, going by how she was asleep, leaning on the Mistralan boy's shoulder.

"First of all, I would like to thank you all for coming at this early hour." Ruby's mouth remained clamped shut, teeth clenched as General Ironwood addressed the group, the only other sound in the room a muffled retort from her sister, complaining about the time. "I know that you are all students, but unfortunately, be it intentional or through circumstance, you have been pulled into the conflict between the Kingdoms and the White Fang."

That sounded, well, not quite how Ruby would put it. Yes, they were involved in fighting some sort of conspiracy that was pitting the White Fang with Roman Torchwick as allies against the Kingdoms, but Ruby was hesitant to associate that with the White Fang as a whole. "While Roman Torchwick remains detained after your efforts over the weekend, the threat lingers. He and the White Fang got access to _my_ machines, and we need to know how."

"That is, however, a discussion for a later time, James." Ruby nearly missed the way the Atlesian General flinched ever so slightly, eyes darting towards the headmaster as he muttered a brisk “of course”, Ozpin focused on the students. "While I requested that both of your teams at least take a couple weeks away from your… extracurricular activities, General Ironwood would like your help with a few questions, as well as get you introduced to the Atlesian Specialists that will be directing things."

“Approximately two weeks ago, an Atlesian convoy moving goods to Vale was attacked by the White Fang.” General Ironwood announced, stepping in front of Professor Ozpin’s desk, hands folded behind his back as his gaze drifted across the students gathered before him, Ruby ducking her head slightly as he passed her. “I believe you came across some of its goods over the last weekend.”

“The Paladin?” Ruby’s eyes widened as she looked up at the Atlesian General, hands clenched tightly in her lap at the thought of fighting Torchwick again. She felt her chest tightening, as though the machine’s grip was around her again, her breathing only calming as Jaune slipped his hand over hers, offering a gently reassuring squeeze. “Th-they might have more of them?”

“I’m afraid so.” General Ironwood offered a sympathetic smile, eyes heavy with regret. “If we’re unlucky and they managed to avoid damaging any of them, the White Fang made off with a full dozen, of which only one is now accounted for.”

“So they could have _eleven_ more of them?” Jaune sounded horrified, though Ruby could tell he was doing his best to stay brave. She couldn’t blame him, of course. Not after what had happened. “We could barely handle fighting _one_ of them! E-Even if we were all together at the time, I don’t think we could take a second one.”

“They _are_ intended to replace Huntsmen in certain operations, Mister Arc. That is part of why Professor Ozpin requested the aid of the Atlesian Military in this matter.” The General noted, turning his gaze towards the two Specialists standing at attention off to the side. “Specialists Reed and Schnee are two of our best operatives, they will be able to do the heavy lifting. What I need is for all of you to provide what information you can to aid in the smoothest possible operation.”

Beginning to pace slightly, the Atlesian’s gaze briefly stopped on the disguised Faunus at the back of the room, before he continued. “I understand you had some information that led you to the White Fang rally Torchwick was displaying the Paladin in.” He stopped again, Ruby noticing his eyes focused on Blake, the General clearly not particularly concerned with subtlety. “If any of you can provide more information on the White Fang, it would be greatly appreciated.”

“Um…” Ruby could tell that Blake was hesitant to speak, looking back at the older girl as her sister took the Faunus’ hand, offering a supportive smile. “I… I don’t think they’ll be holding another rally for the next few weeks, not after the disaster we managed to turn this one into.” Blake gave a forced laugh, before sighing. “ I can try to send messages to a few people who are… less than satisfied with the way Ad- with the way things are going, but after what happened to Tukson… the way he was used as an _example_ of what happens when you try to go against the mold… I’m not sure anyone will be willing to tell me anything.”

“Thank you, Miss Belladonna. Your father would be proud of your actions, I’m sure.” The Faunus’ eyes widened at Professor Ozpin’s words, before Yang pulled her into a one-armed hug, giving a gentle smile Ruby could only describe as “loving, but trying to hide it.” The kind of smile Yang gave a lot when she talked to Uncle Qrow. “While the White Fang is one avenue to explore, the information that Mister Arc and Miss Rose provided is also something to look into, General. Assuming you have any operatives who can act in less scrupulous areas.”

“Ah, yes. _The Thief and the Butcher_ , you said they were called?” The Atlesian man looked to Ruby, who could only manage a meek nod. She was sure he didn’t intend to be, but there was something eerily intimidating about General Ironwood, something she couldn’t quite place. “Hopefully we’ll be able to turn up some information on them soon. With Torchwick detained, we’ve found ourselves at a deadend as far as he goes. Perhaps if the Council would acquiesce to my request that he be transferred to my custody, we could get somewhere sooner.” 

Even Ruby could tell that particular jab was aimed at Professor Ozpin, who didn’t even deign to acknowledge it as he took a sip of his cocoa. “Given that is all we can really do for now, General, perhaps it would be best to give formal introductions for your Specialists? They will be overseeing this operation, will they not?”

“Yes, that would be a good idea.” General Ironwood didn’t look particularly thrilled to have Professor Ozpin interrupt him, but he didn’t fuss about it, instead looking over to the two Atlesians at the side of the room, before stepping back and standing opposite Professor Goodwitch, at the headmaster’s right. 

“Atlesian Specialist Cedar Reed, formerly of Team CARP.” The man a few inches taller than the General spoke up, stepping forward, Weiss’ sister following. “I will be the commanding officer for this operation. If you have any questions or information, please don’t hesitate to talk to me.”

“Atlesian Specialist Winter Schnee, formerly of Team WHTE. I’ll be the executive officer for this mission.” Weiss’ sister explained, eyes slowly drifting across the two teams, barely even holding back the disdain in her eyes. “I’ll also be overseeing any additional combat training you might need for this.”

Ruby sank a little as the haughty Atlesian met her eyes briefly, taking a deep breath before speaking. “Um… if we’re going to be working together, should we introduce ourselves as well?”

“Ah, that’d be a great idea!” Cedar announced with a wide smile, which almost looked out of place given the frosty expression his companion had. “I should probably know your semblances, too, so it’ll be easier to coordinate things if you’re brought along for any missions.”

All eyes turned to Ruby, the short girl giving a nervous squeak. “Um. Right. My name is Ruby Rose, I’m the leader of Team RWBY. My semblance allows me to turn into rose petals and move really fast.” She didn’t mention that she’d had a couple strange experiences with it recently, since it still seemed to be working for the most part, at least. “I call it Petal Burst!”

“My name is Weiss Schnee, not that it’s a surprise, given you know my sister.” Weiss said, stepping forward and offering Ruby a smile, as her partner gave the Atlesian a wide-eyed, grateful look as she took attention off of her. “I think you have an idea of how the Schnee Family Semblance works, if you’ve worked with Winter at all.” 

“But you haven’t been living up to your capabilities with it, yet, are you?” Winter’s biting words caused Weiss to flinch, her eyes darting to the ground in shame. “How far along are you in your training with it?”

“I have been advancing nicely with Time Dilation,” Weiss responded, her voice that fake-proud that Ruby hated to hear from her partner. “And my Gravity Glyphs have been exquisite.”

“And your summoning?” Summoning? Ruby hadn’t heard of that. Maybe it was something Weiss practiced on her own sometimes?

“You know I can’t.” Weiss replied softly, Ruby wishing she was closer to her partner so she could try to reassure her some. Winter gave a dissatisfied, but unsurprised, huff, which was interrupted by her coworker giving a somewhat exaggerated huff. 

“Thank you, Miss Schnee. I’ll be sure to keep in mind your skill with Time Dilation, that could be very useful in a pinch.” Cedar noted, turning his gaze then to Blake, who looked a bit hesitant to speak. With Yang’s support, she managed, and they got through the rest of the introductions soon enough. Having noticed Jaune’s embarrassment at not having a semblance yet, Ruby and Pyrrha both gave him reassuring smiles, the blonde a little relieved to at least have their support. 

* * *

“I think that will conclude things for the morning.” Professor Ozpin noted, taking a look at his watch. “It seems you still have plenty of time before classes. Perhaps we shouldn’t have called them here so early.” Ruby couldn’t help but think that was a jab at General Ironwood, who at least had the grace to look a little sheepish at the implication. “Thank you, Teams RWBY and JNPR, for your cooperation in this matter. Now remember, I want you to continue taking the next couples weeks off. Then you may begin training with Specialist Schnee, if you wish.”

“Thank you, sir.” Ruby dipped her head slightly, a polite smile on her face. “We’ll be sure to do as instructed. With Torchwick behind bars, it should be easy enough to handle some time spent relaxing, without worrying about his next plot.” With that, the group departed, albeit it still took two turns, given the size of the gathering. It was a bit awkward, Ruby, Jaune, and Pyrrha waiting over by the elevator as the adults in the room waited for them to depart, Weiss having gone down with the first group this time. 

Aside from holding hands and smiling, they couldn’t really… express affection at all, given where they were, so all three let out relieved sighs as the elevator returned, their cheeks matching up in embarrassed blushes as they stepped on and began their descent down. “So, um… I think that went well?” Ruby asked nervously, looking up to her boyfriend and girlfriend. “I-I was expecting a lot more questions.”

“I’d agree, I think it was good for them to keep us aware of what was happening.” Pyrrha nodded, smiling gently as she wrapped an arm around the younger girl, eliciting a surprised squeak. “Are you okay? I noticed you were looking a little pale in there.”

“I-It’s okay. Jaune noticed and helped me out.” Ruby said softly, turning to look at the blonde, reaching out an arm to pull him towards the two, smiling wide as he nervously joined the hug. “I just… th-there’s a lot of those Paladins, a-and I’m worried. What if more of you get hurt?”

“Hey, it’ll be okay.” Jaune gently reassured her, joining Pyrrha in a one armed embrace with Ruby, the younger girl letting out a sheepish whimper as her partners tried to comfort her. “I-I know it’s scary. I’m pretty scared, too.” He confessed, Ruby surprised by his admission. “I-I don’t even have a semblance, and I’m still so far behind you guys. I-I’m so worried I’ll hold you back and get someone else hurt.”

“You won’t.” Pyrrha’s tone was blunt, harsh even, but one that Ruby knew was because the older girl was concerned about Jaune’s confidence, not because she was mad at him. “We’ll keep training, all of us will. And when we’re able, we’ll work with Weiss’ sister, as well. You have great potential, Jaune, I’m sure that you can reach it.”

“I… if you’re sure.” Jaune mumbled, not looking like he really believed it. 

“Pyrrha’s right! You’re already a lot stronger than you used to be, Jaune.” Ruby insisted, looking up at the blonde and offering a wide smile. “And you’re smart, you’ll be able to come up with good plans when I can’t, and that’s really important.” 

“I, uh, well…” Jaune’s cheeks turned a scarlet more befitting of Pyrrha’s hair, Ruby giggling a little at the flustered look. The elevator let out a soft “ding”, informing the trio that they’d arrived, doors sliding open to reveal the other five waiting. 

“Wow, sis, what’re you getting up to in there?” Yang asked loudly, cackling at the embarrassed squeak Ruby gave in response. “Maybe we should have gotten going so you all can keep cuddling.”

“Yang!” The younger redhead pouted, though she didn’t leave Pyrrha and Jaune’s side. “Let’s just get going to breakfast.” The group complied, Ruby’s older sister laughing heartily as they departed, though she quickly sped up to walk beside Blake. Ruby gave a sigh, looking up at Jaune and Pyrrha sympathetically. “Sorry about her. I don’t think we’ll even have a chance to escape her joking around like that.”

“It’s fine, Ruby.” Pyrrha said, looking down at the shorter girl, emerald eyes filled with warmth. Ruby found herself blushing as Jaune had earlier, but unwilling to avert her eyes. “I think tolerating Yang is the least we can do if it means spending time with you.”

“Aww, well, I mean, I-I’m not all that great.” Ruby mumbled, blushing awkwardly. “I, um, I’m really glad, though… I-I know I’ve said it before, but… I’m really glad- that you like me.”

“Of course we do, Ruby.” Jaune reached over, ruffling her head, something she leaned into a little. “You’re a wonderful person, kind and friendly and sweet. I don’t know why anyone _wouldn’t_ like you, but I’m glad that you like us back.” 

“We should do something.” Pyrrha stated blankly, the other two looking at her with perplexed expressions. Realizing she hadn’t really completed the thought, Pyrrha giggled lightly. “Sorry, I was thinking aloud. Would you two like to do something over the weekend? Maybe we can finally go to an arcade in Vale?”

“Really?!” Ruby exclaimed, bouncing with giddiness before realizing how loudly she was reacting. “S-Sorry. I would love to go, if you’re also up for it, Jaune.”

“Of course!” The blonde agreed, cheeks dusted with pink as he nodded. “I’d love nothing more. Maybe I’ll finally be able to beat either of you at something!” Jaune chuckled, the other two joining him in a laugh. “Come on, let’s get to breakfast.”

* * *

Roman groaned as he massaged his face, grateful he’d not lost any teeth in the latest of August’s… encouragement sessions. It wouldn’t do to have any permanent damage to this mug, after all. Being one of the best criminals in Vale meant he needed to have a good look for the cameras, and letting a bunch of cops sully that wouldn’t be acceptable. 

The sound of footsteps approaching drew his attention to the slit on the door, the redhead limping his way over to peek through. “I thought we were done with today’s session. Did August get lonely?” He gave an uncomfortably wet laugh as he looked at the cop on the other side, only for the forced smile to slip off his face as they blinked, revealing brown and pink eyes, a genuine one replacing it. “Neo…”

Sliding to the ground, back against the cell’s door, Roman shut his eyes, listening as Neo tapped a finger against the metal slab of a door. It was an old method of communication, developed about 40 years before the Great War, during one of the Faunus uprisings in Mantle, different combinations of short and long taps - dots and dashes - corresponding to different letters. One of many forms of communication they’d taken up, especially with how easy it was for Neo to replicate them with her semblance from afar. 

_We have a plan to get you out._

“Oh? Matchstick decided she’ll need me after all?” Roman chuckled, giving a smirk, despite the lack of an audience. More tapping ensued. 

_Not the witch. Taurus._

“Bully boy? Really!” _That_ elicited more than a chuckle, the thief giving another wet laugh, followed by a pained groan. He felt his daughter put her hand against the door, shaking his head as he took in a few slow breaths. “It’s fine. Just went for my ribs today. I’m surprised he’s willing to bail me out, after all the grief I give him.”

_You’re useful. And it’s convenient, with where you are._

“Ah! Planning on breaking out the whole gang, is he?” Roman chuckled, readjusting his position against the door. “Well, that makes more sense than just breaking out little old me. I assume Matchstick isn’t going to be a problem, is she? She’s agreed to this?”

 _Yes. Only because she still needs you for something later._ A few seconds passed, before tapping picked back up again. _Don’t ask what. You know she won’t tell either of us._

“Fair, fair…” Roman sighed, starting to stand up with a groan. “Thanks for the heads up, Neo. You should get out of here, now, before you raise any suspicion. I’ll be fine, just gotta hold out a bit. I lasted longer back in Mantle before I found you, so don’t worry a bit.”

It was silent for a moment, before the diminutive girl tapped on the door one last time. _Love you, dad._ As he heard the sound of her footsteps getting further away, the redhead sighed loudly, making his way to the other side of the cell. Despite what he insisted to Neo, he was not in great shape. August was not letting up on him, and it wasn’t as though any cop was going to say anything about his mistreatment, given the attitude they’d had towards him. Still, better not to break, both for the sake of keeping Cinder off his back, and because he knew the moment he spilled, he’d be taken out back and shot. 

When he got out of here, the first thing he was going to do is find out how to get back at Little Red. Well, maybe he’ll thank Bully Boy for helping out, first. _Second_ thing he was going to do is find out how to get back at Little Red. That stupid brat had gotten in the way of things far too much, and he wasn’t going to stand for it any longer. Her, that cat, monkey boy. All of them had gotten in the way far too often, but getting him arrested? That was a humiliation he wouldn’t stand. Laying down on the small mat that was allegedly his cot, Roman let out another sigh. The worst part of this was they wouldn’t let him have a damn thing to smoke. At this point he’d be tempted to settle for a cigarette, but those bastards wouldn’t even slip him one of those. This was going to be a long wait…

* * *

Ruby had a small smile on her face as she rested her head against Pyrrha's shoulder, snuggled up against the taller girl as the three of them sat on the roof of the dorms. Jaune was on Pyrrha's other side, so Ruby and him had resolved to simply hold hands across Pyrrha's lap, so they could share some affection. Luckily, Professor Peach didn't have any more homework for Dust Science today, so Ruby wasn't forced to spend all evening with Weiss in tutoring. That was probably for the best, honestly, given her partner's irate attitude after her sister's comments in the morning. 

"So, um, where do you want to go in Vale?” Jaune asked, looking at the two redheads with a timid smile on his lips. Ruby couldn’t blame him, this was still kind of… new. Not the cuddling part, they’d been doing that since before things became, well, official. But it was different, now. Knowing that the affection went beyond platonic made it more… real, maybe? Ruby wasn’t sure how to describe it, the feeling was still kind of foreign to her. Shrugging his free shoulder nervously, the blonde continued. “Aside from the arcade?” 

“Oh, I have an idea!” Pyrrha announced, sounding a bit excited. “If you don’t mind something a little fancy, nothing _too_ fancy, mind you. I just know of a few restaurants in Vale that do Northern Mistrali cuisine like we had back home, and I’d love to have some with the two of you.” 

“That sounds like it could be nice.” Ruby agreed, speaking softly as she snuggled a little closer to her girlfriend, who responded by hugging her a little tighter. “Your sandwiches were pretty good, but I’m interested in what else Northern Mistrali food could be like. We didn’t really… do a big variety of food at home. We had some Southern Mistrali food when my uncle would visit, since I think him and Yang’s mom were from Anima as kids. He doesn’t really like to talk about it, though.”

“Do you think they’ll have fried squid?” Jaune pondered, “I remember when we visited Argus for Saph and Terra’s wedding, we got some fried squid and it was really good. Cal-marie or something?”

“Calamari, Jaune.” The taller redhead corrected with a chuckle. “Yes, I’m sure they’ll have that, and many other dishes. I’ll call home and ask my stepmother for advice and where to go, she used to live in Vale, so she might be able to narrow things down.”

“Oh! D-Do you want to maybe, um… do you want us to be around when you call?” Ruby meekly inquired, looking a little sheepish as her girlfriend’s eyes turned towards her. “S-So you can introduce us?”

"I wouldn't be against it." Though there was a little hesitancy in Pyrrha's voice, she offered the younger girl a warm smile. “I’ll admit, I’m a bit nervous, but I know mom would be thrilled to know that I’ve found someone… some _ones_. After all the stress that celebrity has caused my family, having some good news like that would be refreshing.”

“Then let’s do that. It’s already pretty late in Argus, but we can call tomorrow during lunch.” Jaune suggested, giving the taller redhead an encouraging smile. “I can call Saph and Terra, too. They’ll be happy to know. What about you, Ruby?” The shorter girl jumped slightly at the mention of her name, looking a bit sheepish. 

“I, uh, don’t really have anyone else to tell. I think Yang already told dad.” Her expression fell slightly, grip on Jaune’s hand tightening. “I can visit the memorial here, to tell mom. I’m sure she already knows, but it’s always nice to say it to her directly.”

“We’ll come with.” Jaune reassured, offering a sympathetic smile. “We can even show Pyrrha how to help make cookies, and bring her some, like last time.” At Pyrrha’s silent, slightly confused nod in agreement, Ruby smiled gently, closing her eyes as she lay against the girl’s shoulder. 

“Thank you, it’s… easier to go when I’m not alone. Even if it’s just dad standing nearby, I feel a little less nervous.” Jaune and Pyrrha exchanged looks, before giving each other a nod. Shifting around, to Ruby’s initial dismay, they put the younger girl between them, giving her a gentle embrace as they sat. She wasn’t sure what to say, if anything, so she just accepted the affection, grateful that they were concerned about her. The trio remained silent for a bit, before Ruby let out a reluctant sigh. “I know we’re cuddling, but… it’s usually time for you to start training. Do you want to just… skip it today?” She asked, feeling a bit reticent to mention it. 

“If Pyrrha doesn’t mind, I’d still like to train.” Jaune admitted, offering a smile to Ruby. “You can hang out if you want. But no training until you’re all healed up, okay?”

“That’s okay, I can do some reading.” Ruby offered, giving a halfhearted smile. “I could probably go over Oobleck’s homework again, just in case.”

“Be sure to ask questions if you have any,” Pyrrha advised, placing a hand on Ruby’s shoulder, giving a gentle affectionate squeeze. “We’ll be right here to answer.”

“I will, don’t worry!” Ruby agreed, giving the duo a smile as they split from her, heading towards the door. “I’ll hold down the fort while you get your things.” Opening up her bag, she pulled out the history textbook, trying to find the section they were on in class. Humming gently as she started her reading, she didn’t even notice the chime of her scroll, the redhead letting a relaxed sigh slip from her lips.


	18. Evening Discussions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's late in the evening, as members of Team RWBY process the meeting with General Ironwood differently.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay! Been a little under the weather!
> 
> Y'all know the drill, I crave comments, be they feedback, reviews, or just something short and sweet that brightens my day!

“Hey, how’re you doing?” Blake looked up from her copy _The Boy Who Fell From the Sky_ , gifted to her by Ruby, to find her partner looking down at her, hands on her hips and a warm smile on her face. The Faunus rolled her eyes, chuckling a little as she scooted over, allowing the blonde to sit beside her. “Oh? The “not talking” game again? That’s fine, I can talk enough for the both of us.” _That_ was certainly true.

“Sorry, I don’t mean to be quiet, I’m just… thinking.” Blake admitted, giving Yang a lighthearted smile, though she couldn’t hide the discomfort behind it. “Meeting the General today was… more than I had expected. I’m happy that Professor Ozpin is taking things seriously, but…”

“General Ironwood has a reputation, right?” Yang offered, Blake giving a surprised nod in affirmation at her partner’s suggestion. “My family may not really seem like it, but we do worry about Faunus rights. I-I might not remember Summer very much, but I know my mom was attending every rally she could back before she passed.”

“That was one of the first things Sienna did away with when my father stepped down.” Blake noted, nodding slightly as she shut the book in her lap. “She insisted that humans had no right to stand with us when they were our oppressors. In a way, she’s right. They don’t have a right to act as leaders for us, not when they’ve never experienced the hardships Faunus do. But the ones who just protest at our sides? The ones who stand in front of us when police arrive to “keep the peace?” They aren’t a problem, not to me. Not when they use their privilege to protect us, but don’t speak over us about the issues.” 

“I don’t… remember as much as I’d like of mom, but I remember asking her why she was going, once. I don’t think I really understood, but… she said it was her responsibility.” Yang sighed, shrugging her shoulders, Blake noticing a pensive look on her normally bombastic face. “I always wondered if it might be because she was a Huntress, but I don’t know if it’s really that. A lot of Huntsmen certainly didn’t share that obligation.”

“I don’t think it had to do with a Huntress.” Blake suggested, offering a slight smile to her partner. “A lot of Faunus didn’t - don’t - trust Huntsmen. If she felt obligated to participate in marches and protests, it wasn’t because she was a Huntress, it was because she was a good person. A trait both of her daughters seemed to get, I’d say.” 

“Aw, thanks, Blake.” Yang chuckled, the Faunus catching the pink dusting her partner’s cheeks in the dim light. A soft smile grew on the blonde’s face, strands of golden hair falling back as she leaned down a little, resting on her arms as she looked towards the sky. “I don’t want to just focus on me, though… how are you? Ironwood isn’t gonna come after you with me around, okay?”

“Well, he’d only avoid me because you’re stirring up trouble again, right?” The Faunus teased, smiling playfully. The warmhearted laugh that escaped Yang’s lips caused Blake’s heart to beat faster, but the Faunus clenched her left hand tightly, doing her best to shift the direction of her thought. Yang was nice, but after everything that had happened with Adam, Blake wasn’t confident that she should seek any sort of relationship, and finding Yang attractive like this was still a somewhat new experience. “You don’t need to worry about me, Yang. I can take care of myself.”

“But you shouldn’t have to!” The blonde insisted, giving a confident grin. “You’ve got me. And Ruby and Weiss! We’re a team, and we’ll stick together, remember? Things are looking up, but no matter what, we’ll be here with you, okay?”

“Yeah, thanks Yang.” Blake gave a soft smile, running a hand across the cover of the book in her lap. “I’m glad that I chose you as my partner during the initiation. Imagine if I’d gone with Cardin or something!”

“Oh, gosh, no one should be partnered with that dumb a-” Yang started to laugh, only for the humor to disappear in favor of curiosity. “Wait, you _chose_ me? What’s that supposed to mean?” 

“Well, you certainly didn’t need any help with those Ursa, did you?” Blake raised a brow, lips curved into a smirk, ears perking up ever so slightly. “I don’t think you minded, did you?”

“I mean, of course I didn’t mind, I could tell you were going to be a great partner at a first glance.” Yang turned it back on Blake with a playful grin. “And wow did you deliver.”

The way that Yang raised her brows caused Blake’s cheeks to warm slightly, and she clenched her hand again, shaking her head slightly. “You’re hilarious.” She couldn’t let herself get carried away. The last time she did that led to years of hell. Stretching her arms upwards with a slight yawn, Blake gave Yang a slight smile, grabbing her book as she started to stand. “Let’s get back to the dorm, it’s getting late. If I’m going to keep reading, I want it to be somewhere more comfortable.”

“Mind if I join you there?” Yang asked with a wink, keeping a smirk on her lips for several seconds before bursting into laughter. “Sorry, Blake. Just teasing.” Yeah, right.

* * *

“You didn’t have to come to the lockers with us, Ruby.” Jaune insisted as the trio made their way back to the dorms, the blonde and redhead sporting freshly damp hair from quick showers. “You know we would’ve come to stop by and say goodnight.”

“I know!” The redhead chirped cheerfully, hands held together in front of her as she turned around to give the older duo a happy smile. She felt her cheeks warm as she got a good look at her boyfriend and girlfriend, ignoring the feeling her sister called "butterflies in her stomach" as she continued, walking backwards as she spoke. "Even if I didn't need to, I wanted to! It's nice spending time with you, and the wait while you were showering wasn't long."

"Well, thank you, then," Pyrrha insisted, returning Ruby's warm smile with one of her own, Jaune following suit rather sheepishly. She tried to determine which she liked more, the beautiful smile from Pyrrha, or the dorky one from Jaune, before deciding comparing them was silly because they were both precious to her, like every smile from the pair. Noticing the delighted look on Ruby's face, the older redhead spoke up. "What's gotten you so gleeful?"

"Mmmmmmm, nothing!" The shorter girl peeped with a giggle, before turning around so she could see where she was going. "Just thinking of how much I like your smiles!"

"Oh!" Ruby could practically _hear_ the blush undoubtedly painting her girlfriend's face, cheeks a brilliant scarlet matching her hair. What she wasn't expecting were for Pyrrha's firm arms to wrap around her waist and lift her into a hug from behind, letting out a startled squeak as the taller girl laughed warmly. "I think you're overlooking your smile, Ruby. It's such a delight to see every day, don't you agree, Jaune?"

"Absolutely." The blonde agreed, slipping in front of the redheaded duo to take Ruby's place at the front, turning around with a slightly smug smirk on his face as he looked at the younger girl. Walking backwards, he decided to elaborate as he continued looking at the increasingly embarrassed Silver-eyed girl. "Every morning when we meet you, my whole day becomes brighter when you give us that cheerful grin I can't imagine having so early in the day."

"What, but that's- that's just silly! You're being silly!" Ruby insisted, feeling the warmth of her cheeks coloring a shade of red befitting the tips of her hair. Jaune's cocky smirk grew into a grin, which only made Ruby feel even more embarrassed. How come him and Pyrrha always managed to say stuff like that, making her feel all warm and fuzzy! It wasn't fair, not one bit! "W-Well you and Pyrrha have the best smiles ever! Every time I see them I feel so much better, even when I'm feeling down!" 

Judging by the warm giggle that escaped Pyrrha's lips as she hugged Ruby a little tighter, not letting the girl down as they walked towards the dorms, the shorter redhead wasn't too sure her retort had been successful. "I'm glad to hear we can have such an effect on you, Ruby, I think I speak for both of us when we say that the same is true of us when we see your smiles." Oh, well, that was sweet of her to say. Maybe what she said _was_ successful, just not how she'd expected. Stupid weird feelings. "I think my favorite was when I fought Team CRDL. Seeing how proud you were… You have a smile worth fighting for, Ruby."

Oh, gosh, that was, well, that was something she'd never heard before, and hearing Pyrrha, hearing _her girlfriend_ , say something like that? The mixture of joy and embarrassment was almost overwhelming, the younger girl tearing up a little as a small smile graced her lips, cheeks a rosy red befitting of her name. "That's definitely true." Jaune agreed, his smirking changing into a more genuine smile. Ruby would hesitate to call it loving, if only because the thought of using the term "love" so soon was a bit too much. She certainly cared about Jaune and Pyrrha a whole lot, but to say she loved them was, well, scary. She just liked them a whole lot! "Pyrrha's genuine smiles are wonderful, but there's a purity to your smiles that I don't think either of us can match, Ruby. It's inspiring, I'd say."

"Y-you aren't just saying that, right?" Ruby asked nervously, feeling a bit overwhelmed by all the complimenting. "You mean it?" 

"Of course we do, Ruby." Jaune insisted, slowing his pace a little so he could get in line with Pyrrha, offering the shorter redhead a gentle smile. "I know you're new to this kind of stuff, newer than me and Pyrrha, anyways, so if we need to stop, just let us know, okay?" 

"I think it's okay, I'm just… a little overwhelmed, is all." Ruby gave a somewhat nervous smile, though Jaune didn't seem to mind her answer at all, if the warmth in his blue eyes was anything to go by. “I’m glad you two like me… I like you, too.” The embrace Pyrrha was giving her tightened slightly, not so much that it was painful by any means, just a little firmer. 

“You have no idea how happy it makes me every time you say that.” The taller redhead said softly, almost more to herself than to Ruby or Jaune, and before the shorter girl could comment on it, the group came to a stop as they reached the dorms. “Here we are, I’ll put you down, now.”

“Thank you!” Ruby chirped, a little sad to be out of Pyrrha’s hug, even if she would never admit it. Being carried like that was embarrassing, but it was nice, too. Standing between Jaune and Pyrrha, the younger girl held out her scroll to unlock the building, the detector’s soft chime signaling they could enter as the doors slid open. Pulling back her scroll, she noticed something she hadn’t before: there was a message waiting for her. “That’s weird.” 

“What’s up?” Jaune asked, looking down past Ruby’s shoulder to see what was on her scroll, not really able to make out what was on the screen. “Yang message you or something?”

“I got a message, yeah.” The uncertainty in her voice left the duo from JNPR feeling a little worried, which only furthered as she continued. “But it’s not from a scroll I recognize.”

“Maybe don’t open it?” Pyrrha suggested, memories of unsolicited messages from fans that’d gotten her scroll number _somehow_ , usually filled with indecent proposals and sometimes rather vile images. 

"Too late." Ruby regretfully chirped, both girls relieved to see that when the message opened, it wasn't anything bad, though it was rather strange. " _You lack clarity, seek out the Warrior in the Woods. -BR_ What's that supposed to mean?"

"The "Warrior in the Woods?" What's that, like, you need to seek out some master hiding in the woods?" Jaune chuckled nervously, not exactly thrilled his girlfriend had received such a weird message, even if it has at least on the surface a harmless one. He had no clue what it could possibly mean, though. "I have no idea, same with you, Pyrrha?" 

"Yes," _that_ sounded somewhat more uncertain than expected, but Ruby chalked it up to Pyrrha being uncomfortable with her receiving a message like that. "We should get going, it's getting late. Ruby, you need to be careful about opening messages from people you don't know, okay?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry, Pyrrha." Ruby mumbled, sinking her head and shoulders a little in shame, only to be brought into another hug by the older girl. 

"Hey, it's okay. I just don't want you to open something and have something bad waiting for you." Pyrrha explained, giving a warm smile to the shorter redhead, gently squeezing her shoulder to reassure her. "I'm sorry if you thought I was mad, I certainly wasn't."

"That's good!" Ruby chirped, returning the hug with a rather tight one of her own. The trio fast approached their rooms, and soon enough, they were standing outside Ruby's door. "Um, goodnight, you two. I l-like you both a ton, I'm sure I'll be dreaming of you, so it won't feel like we're so separated."

"We like you a lot, too." Pyrrha said gently, leaning down to give the shorter teen a kiss on the forehead, giving a warm smile as she pulled away. 

"Goodnight, Ruby." Jaune was blushing almost as much as Ruby, not looking like he was quite at the point where he'd be ready to kiss her, even just on the forehead. "We'll see you in the morning, okay?" The shorter team leader gave an affirmative nod, smiling sheepishly after what Pyrrha had done, before slipping into her dorm, leaving the other two in the hall as the door closed. All seemed well until Pyrrha gave a concerned sigh, which drew the blonde's attention. "Hey, are you okay?"

"I think I know what the message means." Pyrrha admitted, looking to the ground with guilt. "I-I had an idea, but I wasn't sure, so I didn't want to give Ruby false hope if I was wrong."

"Wait, what do you mean?" Jaune was perplexed by his partner's statement. Pyrrha never had seemed the sort to lie, not in his mind, so hearing that she had was a shock to say the least. "Come on, Pyrrha, there's got to be some reason to not tell Ruby outside of the fact that you aren't sure."

"It's just… it's outlandish. There's no way it'd be true." Pyrrha insisted, the blonde unsure of what to make of her expression, a mix between doubt and certainty with a covering of guilt in the way she held her shoulders. Taking Pyrrha's hand, Jaune offered a reassuring smile, one she could only halfheartedly return. "I need to check something, the book I got when we went book shopping with Ruby."

"The, uh, fairy tales, right?" Jaune suggested off his memory. Though Ruby had given them their books in the next few days after the incident, reading them was understandably off their minds. Still, Jaune was pretty confident he remembered what she'd bought, and was glad to see her nod affirmatively. "Let's find it then, yeah?"

"Yeah." Pyrrha agreed as the duo entered their dorm. Ren was currently going over some papers, likely homework if Jaune was to guess, while Nora snored from her bed, not having bothered to use the covers as she slept atop her blankets. Following Pyrrha's lead, Jaune accompanied his girlfriend to the bookshelf, looking through some of the lower shelves while she checked the top. "Ah ha! Here we are." Pyrrha announced quietly, placing the book on her bed, leaning over it as she skimmed through the first story, a frown growing as she reached the end. "Jaune, what color would you say Ruby's eyes are?"

"Um… Silver, I guess? They're a bit grayish, but there's something more about them." The blonde shrugged, not really following his partner's train of thought. "They aren't _really_ gray, though. That kid from Haven, Mercury? His eyes are gray. Yeah, I'd say that Ruby's eyes are silver colored. It's kind of cool, I've never seen eyes quite like hers. Why?"

"Read this line here." Pyrrha's tone left no room for questioning. The blonde leaning beside her to get a better look at the book.

"Okay, um… "I fell in love with her the moment I saw her silver eyes." Wait? That's what you think this is about?" Jaune did his best not to sound skeptical, all things considered. It was strange, but he wasn't sure why someone none of them knew would suggest she seek out the story. "I-I guess it's pretty weird, I certainly never heard of this story."

"I… I'm not sure, Jaune. But this can't be a coincidence." Pyrrha insisted, the blonde frowning slightly at how agitated she sounded, not at him, but at the situation itself. "I've never seen eyes like hers before, Jaune, and this story talks about people like her being hunted down. About strange powers, though that might be a reimagining of a semblance. Either way… I-I'm not sure what to do. Should we tell her?"

"Of course we should." Jaune insisted, offering Pyrrha a reassuring smile as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her in for a hug. "She'll understand why we waited, and be happy that she doesn't have to wonder what the message means."

"Of course. I-I'm sorry."

"Don't be. You're fine, Pyrrha." Jaune said with a warm smile, hugging her a little tighter. "Now let's get to bed." Pyrrha nodded, still looking a bit worried, but glad that Jaune had her back on this. 

* * *

"I'm really allowed to do this, Specialist Schnee?" Winter looked to the rather nervous looking girl beside her, green eyes wide as the redhead stared at the Atlesian. 

"Yes, Penny. General Ironwood has agreed with your request to socialize with my sister and Ruby Rose." Winter smiled at the girl, though it was somewhat forced. On the surface, what they were doing was nice, and that was certainly how Penny would see it, but the Specialist had to remind herself that the redhead was in fact artificial as an excuse to ignore the fact that the General was essentially using her to spy on her sister's team. "And please, Penny. Call me Winter."

"Um, if you're sure, Miss Winter!"

"No "Miss," Penny, just Winter." The Specialist instructed. "Now there's no need to wait any longer, please go speak to your friend."

"Thank you, M- Winter!" The robot girl announced with a grin, bringing the Atlesian woman in for a tight hug. "Just remember, you're my friend, now, too!"

If Winter had a reply to say, it had been lost when the air was crushed out of her lungs by the redhead's backbreaking embrace. Penny gave a cheerful wave as she made her way towards Weiss in the otherwise abandoned library. The younger Schnee was in the middle of looking through an old book, though Penny could not identify it at a glance, a surly expression of annoyance on her face. Walking up behind her, Penny raised a hand in greeting as she loudly announced: "salutations, Weiss! How are you?"

The scream that erupted from Weiss' throat caught the redhead off guard, and she was quick as she could be to the white-haired girl's side, hand on her back in concern. "P-Penny?" The Atlesian stared wide-eyed at the slightly sheepish looking girl, who offered a grin one might interpret as apologetic. "First Ruby, now you. What is it with redheads and a lack of sense?"

"I don't know!" Penny chirped cheerfully, a smile gracing Weiss' lips as she laughed softly. "How are you, Weiss?"

"I've been better." The Atlesian admitted, eyes slightly downcast as she turned her focus back on the book she was reading. Seeing the curious look in the redhead's eyes, Weiss waved a hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it, Penny, it's not of any concern."

"But I thought friends are supposed to be concerned about each other!" Penny insisted, leaning towards the white-haired girl, completely disregarding the pink dusting her cheeks. "We are friends, right, Weiss? You didn't change your mind, did you?"

"Of course not, Penny! I would never." The expression of worry on Penny's face broke Weiss' heart, and she was quick to reassure the redhead, placing a hand on the robot girl's free hand and offering a reassuring squeeze as Ruby would often do to her. "We are friends, absolutely. I just don't wish to be a burden. It would be… indecorous of me."

"I disagree! I want to help, so there's nothing wrong with telling me." Penny insisted, smiling brightly. "You and Ruby are my best friends, Weiss. I would do anything for you!"

"W-well, thank you, Penny." Weiss wasn't… unused to hearing people make such claims about doing anything for her, but only from perhaps Klein and Winter would it ever sound so genuine. The Atlesian blushed brilliantly, eyes darting towards the book again before shaking her head. What was with redheads having this sort of effect on her? First Pyrrha, then Ruby, now Penny? Penny _was_ her friend, and maybe earnest to a fault, so maybe it wouldn't be the end of the world to tell her. "I'm… trying to understand my family's semblance better. I still haven't managed to summon, so I'm rereading my grandfather's notebooks."

"Maybe I could help?" Penny asked, head lilting slightly to the side. "I'm happy to be of assistance!"

"Oh, I'm not sure. Certainly not tonight." Weiss replied, though curiosity flashed across her face before deciding her next question. "Penny, why are you here? I thought that General Ironwood wanted you to avoid us."

"Oh! The General considered my request to let me interact with you and Ruby, and after this morning, he approved it!" Weiss definitely took note that it was only after the morning's meeting that he had allowed this, but she was sure that it was more an attempt to ingratiate himself with their team than anything truly malicious. "I've been so lonely, even when Spe- when Winter spends time with me. I'm worried it'll be the same when I am assigned a team mate."

"You've spent time with my sister?"

"Oh, yes! Winter is assigned to keep watch over me for the next week while I acclimate to being social. I think she's nearby!" A look of worry graced the redhead's face, cheeks a verdant hue as she blushed. "Oh no! I wasn't supposed to say that! I'm sorry!"

"I am… sure that Winter will forgive you, Penny." How could she not? The girl was positively adorable, as much as Weiss tried to push the thought from her head. "How about you tell me about your day?"

"Oh! Ab-so-lutely!" The redhead chirped cheerfully, not even reacting as Weiss rested her head on her shoulder. The two continued to chatter, Winter watching on with a hint of guilt, both for how they were using Penny, and how she had made her sister feel so poorly. 


	19. Middling Morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another morning, another bad night's sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, this didn't take as long as I was worried it would, but it was still a little longer than I'd like it to take! Definitely feeling in a writing mood, though, so I should have another one out tomorrow, if all goes well! :D
> 
> I'd like to thank Mdk103 for being my story beta for this story, and welcome bmblbeaky as my grammar structure beta! They're both awesome and have been a big help, you should check out their works to see if you'd like them! 
> 
> As always, comments are adored! Feedback, reviews, a friendly little message, whatever you'd like! Thank you very much for reading!!

Blake’s eyes opened suddenly, dreams of playing with her mother and father as a child slipping away as her ears perked up slightly, the sound of muffled screaming barely audible to her. Amber eyes drifted upwards, towards her team leader’s bunk, where she heard the younger teen scrambling around in her bed. Ruby must’ve been particularly out of it as she rushed to the bathroom, not having even taken a glance towards the Faunus this time. 

Shaking her head, a soft sigh escaped Blake’s lips, frowning as she slipped out of her bunk, making sure to adjust her pajamas while she waited for the redhead to finish her… processing, before slipping into the bathroom and bringing the younger girl into a gentle hug. “It’s okay.” The Faunus insisted, rubbing her back gently as Ruby did her best to hold back tears, though she wasn’t successful. “There’s nothing to be ashamed of, Ruby. Do you want to talk about it? The others shouldn’t be up for a little while longer.”

The redhead gave a reluctant nod, which Blake responded to with a sad smile, as she led the younger girl to the sink, letting her rinse out her mouth with water. “You’re getting better, Ruby.” Blake insisted, her team leader giving a doubting groan, silver eyes drifted towards the ground. Leading the girl back into the main room, she sat down on her bed, patting the space beside her. “Come on, it’ll be okay.”

“I-I was having such a nice dream. J-Jaune and Pyrrha and I were on a d-date, in Vale! A-And then everything would get all dark and stormy, but we'd power through, and then that _thing_ would show up again." 

Ruby shivered against Blake's embrace, the older girl careful to gently reassure her that everything was okay.

"I-I get separated from the others, and Torchwick grabs me with the Paladin again, a-and he keeps squeezing and everything feels tighter and tighter and I have to get out and- and then I woke up. M-My blankets were all wrapped around me awkwardly a-and I got scared because I felt like it was still grabbing me."

"Is that all that happened?" Ruby's expression became further downcast, and Blake's heart sank a little. Among their team, Ruby was almost like what Blake had imagined a little sister might've been like if she'd had one, and seeing her so hurt was heartbreaking. The Faunus put her hand on the redhead's shoulder, squeezing gently as she hugged her from the side. "It's okay. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but I'm here for you, okay?" 

"O-Okay…" Ruby seemed uncertain, not that Blake could blame her. When she was struggling during her later time in the White Fang, back when Ilia was still there, before she'd been sent to Menagerie by Adam, Blake had often felt reticent to tell her what was wrong, too. "I-I see their bodies. J-Jaune and Pyrrha. I-It's like Tukson all over again. Th-there's so much blood and they don't answer a-and I-" 

Blake hugged the redhead closer as she choked back a sob, resting her head against the Faunus' shoulder as she shuddered. "It's okay, Ruby. They'll be out in the hall waiting for you, don't worry." The feline Faunus said gently, rocking her team leader back and forth a little. "They'll be there and they'll be okay. Torchwick isn't here, he's in prison, and you don't have to worry about him, okay?"

"I-I know." Ruby nodded meekly, before shaking her head more forcefully. "I-I can't get myself to stop dreaming about bad things happening, but I know that they won't. We won! We beat Torchwick, a-and he's in jail where he belongs!" The redhead offered a smile Blake could tell was at least partially forced, but she couldn't exactly criticize, could she? How many times had her smiles been fake? How many times had she told herself she was okay when she wasn't. Just like Ilia had with her, she could only offer advice. She couldn't force Ruby to take it.

"Maybe you should speak with Professor Goodwitch?" The Faunus proposed, not surprised when the smile faded from Ruby's expression, "I'm not telling you that you _have_ to, I'm just reminding you that it's an option, okay?" 

"Yeah… I-I'm sure that it's fine. The dreams aren't getting worse, right?" They weren't improving, either, in Blake's opinion. "I'll get past this, with your help and Yang's and everyone else's. I-I should get myself cleaned up, I want to be ready to hang out with Jaune and Pyrrha." 

"Yeah, just… keep what I said in mind, okay?" At the girl's reluctant nod, Blake returned one of her own. She wasn't sure that she'd gotten through to her at all, but she'd have to keep trying. Ilia always tried for her, trying for Ruby was the least she could do. 

After Ruby had made her way into the bathroom again, a sigh escaped Blake's lips as she did something she worried she'd regret, knocking at the bed above to wake her partner. 

"Yang, can we talk?"

If the loud groan was anything to go by, Blake assumed that Yang was too tired to chat, but sure enough a huge mane of golden hair soon dangled down from above, tired violet eyes squinting to find Blake's amber. 

"It's not going to be a happy talk, is it?" Yang mumbled through a yawn, before dropping from her bunk with a solid "thud" and sitting beside her partner. "What's up?"

"I'm worried… about Ruby." Whatever hint of levity in Yang's eyes remained died as Blake finished speaking. The Faunus couldn't exactly blame her partner, she knew that she was particularly protective of her little sister. "I think she'll be a great Huntress someday, but… she's… she's still struggling with everything that's happened. And I don't think she's willing to seek help from Professor Goodwitch."

"She's just… she's not used to it, yet." Yang said quietly, looking towards the ground. Blake could have sworn her eyes were almost blue in her melancholy, though she was sure it was a trick of the light. "Our family never was the best at reaching out when we need help. It took my Uncle Qrow knocking some sense into my dad after - after something bad happened - for him to start getting therapy."

Blake gave Yang a concerned look, the blonde raising her arms defensively. "Hey, hey, I don't mean literally!" Yang insisted, sighing as she shook her head. "Dad… Dad made some mistakes, when mom died. He was absent for a long time, even though he was there physically. I-I almost got Ruby really hurt, and Uncle Qrow came and chewed him out, made him see that he was about to lose his two daughters as well."

"You almost died?" Blake was a little surprised by the admission from Yang, amber eyes wide as she stared at the blonde, who could only give a halfhearted shrug. It was strange to think of her as anything but invincible, after almost five months as partners. Shaking her head, Blake tried to get things back on track. "I know that Ruby is… stubborn, but I just want to tell you now, that I'm doing my best to help her, but she might need some advice from someone more… sisterly."

"If you really think that I can help, I'll do my best." Yang smiled gently, a little gladdened by the idea that she could offer her sister help after the anxieties that Ruby was leaving her behind had been so nagging of late. "I don't think piling on things this morning will help, but at least I can keep a better eye on her."

"Okay, if you're sure." Blake said tentatively, looking more than a little nervous. "Thanks for listening to me, Yang, instead of just blowing off what I was saying."

"Hey, you're the expert here, as much as that sucks." Yang's hand found its way on top of Blake's, the Faunus a little nervous to keep it there. Yang wasn't Adam, and she was sure that this meant nothing other than the blonde trying to comfort her, but this stupid crush was getting really distracting. "Um, we should get ready for the rest of the day, right?" 

Yang's gaze turned away from Blake and towards Weiss, a sympathetic glint in her eyes as she smiled. "Do you think we should wake up Snow Angel over there, or let her sleep in later?"

"Snow Angel?" A soft laugh erupted from Blake's lips before she could stop herself, shuddering at the nickname first used by Jaune at the start of the school year, when he was still attempting to strike it off with Weiss. _Thankfully_ that had passed, the Faunus wasn't sure if she could handle an extended period of his attempted courtship, his first attempts were so poor. "I think we could let her sleep a little while later. Not _our_ fault if she wasn't up in time to get the warm water, right?" 

"Right." Yang agreed with a wink, always happy to see the rare mischievous side of her partner. "Well, when Ruby's done, you can go in first, I'll see if she wants to say anything." 

"If you're sure." 

"Yeah, I won't pressure her, and I won't pester about her nightmare. It's just…" Yang sighed softly, shaking her head a little as she ignored the nagging feeling that her sister was going to abandon her. "It's important that she knows I'm here to support her, too." 

"I'm sure she does," Blake replied, giving the blonde a gentle smile in the dim light, before standing up and stretching. "Thanks, Yang."

* * *

Walking out of the bathroom, already changed into her uniform, Ruby let out a soft squeak as Blake slipped by and into the smaller room. That was weird, why did Blake have a slight blush on her face? The answer to her question was pretty quickly answered as she spotted Yang sitting on the Faunus' bed, looking a little flustered as well. 

"Good morning?" It was more of a question than a statement, as the redhead looked at her sister. "I'm surprised to see you up this early."

"I'm full of surprises this morning, apparently." Yang chuckled to herself, before giving Ruby a warm smile. "Good morning, sis. How're you doing?"

"O-Oh, you know. I-I'm doing okay. B-Better." Ruby stumbled over her words, not wanting to lie to her sister, of course, but not feeling up to talking about her dreams again. She just wanted them out of her head, she wanted to not feel sick as she thought about the- NO! Stop thinking about that. Breath in, breath out. Nice and slow. She hadn't even realized she had started to space out until she felt Yang's firm hand on her arm. "Y-Yang?"

"Ruby!" The blonde let out a sigh of relief, pulling her sister into a tight embrace. "Your mind was wandering again, wasn't it?" All the redhead could manage was a meek nod. "There's nothing wrong with that. I know it's… not convenient, but it's okay, you don't need to be ashamed. Do you want to talk about it?"

Ruby shook her head, her breathing slowly calming as her sister released her from the hug. "Here, come on, let's take a seat while I wait for Blake to finish up in the shower." 

"Okay." Ruby quietly agreed, following her sister to Blake's bed, taking a seat beside her as the blonde pulled her into a one-armed hug. "Did you sleep okay, Yang?"

"Me? Yeah, I did!" Yang nodded, though her cheeks then pinkened. "Had a few uh… interesting dreams. Nothing to talk about, though." 

"O-Oh." Ruby had an idea of what that meant, she just hoped that Yang was okay about it. Yang didn't really… enjoy having those kind of dreams, not the last she'd heard about it, at least. "Are you running low on medicine again? I-I know when you were out last time, that kind of stuff happened again."

"What? No, no, nothing like that. Just," Yang's eyes drifted towards the closed door to the bathroom, before returning to her sister. "Just a lot on my mind."

Maybe it was better to move on, then. Ruby found herself blushing as she thought back to the start of her dream, smiling nervously, though it quickly faded. "Um… I-I had… I dreamt about going on a d-date with Pyrrha and Jaune. Before things got… like they've been getting."

"Hey, that's good, right? They're on your mind!" Yang gave Ruby a warm smile, one the redhead could tell was filled with pride. "I know that things are scary right now, but let's try to focus on the good things, okay?"

"Okay." Ruby nodded, offering a shy smile. "I-I really like Jaune and Pyrrha, Yang. L-like a whole darn lot."

"I know you do, Ruby." Yang's voice was a little quieter than Ruby had expected, and for a moment she worried she had done something wrong, before her sister pulled her in close and began ruffling her hair. "I'm just so proud of you!"

"Yaaaang!" Ruby whined loudly as her sister continued messing up her admittedly already disheveled hair, pushing against her sister in a halfhearted attempted to break loose of her vice grip.

"Come on, sis, you know better than to try and escape!" Yang teased, ruffling her sister's hair further as she playfully tightened the embrace slightly. Then something strange happened, Yang couldn't exactly describe it. It was like Ruby had suddenly stopped being completely solid.

The smell of roses filled the room as Ruby fell out of her sister's grip and onto the floor, a sensation similar to her semblance overtaking her. It felt like over the weekend, when Cardin had grabbed her wrist and she just… slipped through him. "Y-Yang?"

Ruby's attention was drawn upwards towards her sister, the blonde's hands clenched tightly around rose petals. "Ruby?" Yang sounded just as flabbergasted as Ruby, violet eyes wide as she stared at the redhead. "Did… did you just use your semblance to… I don't even know how to describe it! You just slipped right through my hands!"

"I-I don't know!" Ruby squeaked out, eyes widening in panic. "I-I just wanted to get out a-and then I was falling!"

"Hmm?" The two likely would've continued their immediate panic had Weiss not suddenly groaned a little, azure eyes blinking wearily. "Why does everything smell like roses?"

Bleary eyes drifted over to Ruby and Yang, an annoyed expression growing on Weiss' face as she spotted the rose petals in Yang's hands and littering the floor around her team leader. "Ruby Rose!" The sheepish sister duo flinched at the shrill sound of the Atlesian's voice as she scolded the redhead. "What did I tell you about using your semblance in the dorm room?"

"I-I didn't mean to, honest!" Ruby squeaked out, face red with embarrassment as she tried to explain. "I-I just used it by accident while Yang was hugging me!"

"Used it by accident!" Wow Weiss really wasn't letting up, much to Ruby's dismay. The Atlesian looked ready to yell further before stopping herself, taking a deep breath to calm down. "Ruby," Weiss made no effort to hide her annoyance at the younger girl, but she was doing her best to keep her words in check. "Why are you using your semblance _by accident_? You have better mastery than that."

"I-I don't know!" Ruby admitted, her voice raising a bit more than intended. She didn't really want to yell but she was scared. Nothing like this had ever happened to her until recently, and she didn't understand why it was happening. "I-I just… it started happening on S-Sunday. C-Cardin grabbed me a-and I just slipped through his grip."

"He _what_?" Oh, right. She hadn't actually told Yang, precisely for this reason. Yang's eyes burned a brilliant crimson, the tips of her hair lighting up the room. "When I get my hands on him I'm going to-"

"Do nothing!" Ruby insisted, blurring up and standing in front of Yang. "Cardin… I don't think he was trying anything, he just… he's a dummy and doesn't know how to speak to people without speaking down to them. He was trying to apologize." Seeing Yang was still unconvinced, Ruby rolled her eyes. "Besides, why else do you think Pyrrha kicked his whole team's butts like that?"

" _That_ was why she challenged them?" Weiss spoke up, clearly distracted for the moment, at the mention of Pyrrha's fight. Or maybe just Pyrrha in general? Ruby really hadn't gotten a good read on how Weiss was feeling towards the taller redhead. "An entire team being used against one opponent hasn't happened in two decades! Do you know how rare that is?"

"Presumably pretty rare, if you're making a big deal of it." Yang taunted, eliciting a frustrated huff from the Atlesian girl. "Even _if_ your girlfriend took care of him this time, if Cardin ever does anything else like that, Ruby, I'm going to te- going to make sure he regrets it."

"I think he's learned his lesson, Yang." Ruby hoped he had, at least. She didn't want to know whatever nightmare Yang had in mind for Cardin if he did do anything weird. 

"So what about your semblance?" Well, that distraction didn't last as long as Ruby would've liked. "You knew when we were meeting with General Ironwood and you didn't say anything. That kind of information could be critical in a mission."

"I-I was embarrassed, okay? Embarrassed, ashamed…" Ruby's expression became downcast as she looked towards the floor, hands clenched tightly. "What kind of team leader can I be if I can't use my semblance?"

Ruby let out a startled squeak as Weiss flicked her forehead, the Atlesian girl looking rather sympathetic despite her annoyance.

"Ruby, you'll be an excellent leader." Weiss said gently, offering a supportive smile to the younger teen. "Semblances… sometimes they're more than we can easily control. It sounds to me like you have a semblance with more than you know, and while you've mastered a part of it, you're only just scratching the surface."

"D-do you really think so?"

"Of course!" Yang interrupted, sending Ruby forward with a cheerful pat to the back. "You'll figure it out in no time at all, Ruby. Just give yourself some time."

"Yes…" Weiss seemed more than a little annoyed at being interrupted, but she dismissed it in favor of focusing on their anxious leader. "Regardless, you should still inform someone. At the very least, they may be able to provide assistance where we cannot."

"Um… okay. I-I'll think of something." Ruby reluctantly agreed, though she wasn't exactly sure _who_ she could turn to. Her first thought was Doctor Oobleck, he had been a bit of help when she was younger. After considering that his semblance was only speed, nothing like this, she decided against it. She wasn't sure who to go to, but she'd figure it out. 

"Right, um." Ruby looked to her sister and then Weiss, shrinking a little nervously. "I'm gonna go see if Jaune and Pyrrha are free. I'll see you two at breakfast!"

And with that, she was gone in a cloud of rose petals, the door to the dorm opening and closing before either Yang or Weiss could react. Left with even more petals in the girl's wake, Weiss let out a loud groan, matched by Yang's laughter. 

* * *

“Good morning!” Ruby chirped loudly as she greeted Pyrrha at the door to Team JNPR’s dorm, the taller redhead dressed and ready for the day. 

“Oh, good morning, Ruby.” Though Pyrrha’s voice was its usual warm, gentle tone, the shorter redhead could tell that something was on her mind. “Did you sleep well?”

“I, um… not really.” She couldn’t lie to Pyrrha, even if she didn’t want to talk about it. “I had a bad dream again, but it’s okay! It was just a dream, a-and you’re here now, so that’s fine. Where’s Jaune?”

“Jaune’s finishing up, he woke up late.” Pyrrha explained, giving a gentle smile. “I’m sure he’ll be out here in no time.” 

Ruby smiled up at the taller girl, who still looked a bit reticent. “I’m glad you’re okay… I-I know it was just a dream, but seeing you makes me feel a lot better.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” Pyrrha asked, slipping her hand into Ruby’s and offering a supportive squeeze. The shorter redhead shook her head softly, and Pyrrha decided it would be best to not press it for the time being, it was better to move on. “We… Jaune and I might’ve found out what that message means.”

“Really?” Ruby’s eyes widened with relief, a bright smile breaking across her face as she pulled the taller girl into a spontaneous hug. After a few seconds, she realized what she’d done and gave out a squeak, letting go of Pyrrha, cheeks a brilliant scarlet. “Sorry! I-I was just happy and-”

“You don’t need to apologize for hugging me, Ruby.” Pyrrha insisted, smiling as she cupped the shorter girl’s cheek in her hand, before leaning down to give a gentle kiss on her forehead. “You’re my girlfriend, remember? I’m always happy to get a hug from my girlfriend.”

“R-Right. I’m still getting used to this, sorry.” Ruby mumbled, blushing brightly at the kiss. “I’m always happy to get hugs from you, too. A-And kisses.” 

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Pyrrha said, her warm tone matched with a teasing smirk not often found on her lips. “Once Jaune is ready, we can talk about what we found.”

“Okay!” Ruby chirped, hugging Pyrrha again with a little more confidence. “I, um, do you remember on Sunday, when Cardin was being… stupid. And I used my semblance differently to slip through his grip on my wrist?”

“Yes, I remember.” Oh, gosh, going by her tone, it seemed like Pyrrha hadn’t really forgiven Cardin, either. She couldn’t fault her sister or girlfriend, Cardin had done something bad, even if he was just trying to apologize or whatever. “What about it?”

“I… I managed to do it again!” Ruby explained, hoping to redirect her girlfriend’s anger towards a more positive emotion. “Yang was teasing me and giving me a hug and I just… slipped right through her arms!” 

“That’s incredible, Ruby.” Pyrrha said with a proud smile, ruffling the shorter girl’s hair as she rested her head against her chest. “Do you know how you did it?”

“No…” Ruby admitted, sinking her head slightly in embarrassment. “Weiss suggested that I talk to one of the professors, but I don’t really know who to go to.”

“Well, if I recall correctly, you said your semblance was like your mother’s, right?” Pyrrha asked, the shorter redhead giving a concise nod in confirmation. “Then perhaps, you could speak to someone who knew her?”

That… was easier said than done. A lot of the professors at Beacon knew her mother, heck, most of them were classmates of hers. She’d tried getting stories of her mom out of most of the people who knew her, but they always seemed reluctant to tell her. “Professor Greene!” Ruby exclaimed, maybe a bit louder than she meant to. “She was willing to talk to me about my mom when she was giving me a check up after we fought the Paladin. I-I’ll talk to her!”

“That sounds like a good idea.” Both girls jumped slightly at Jaune’s comment, the blonde giving a nervous chuckle. “Sorry, I just overheard the last little bit. How are you, Ruby? Besides looking pretty cozy.”

“I’m doing better, even if I didn’t sleep well.” Ruby said tentatively, smiling a little nervously as she looked over to Jaune from her embrace against Pyrrha. “So, what did you two find out about that message? Pyrrha said you might’ve found something?”

“Yeah, it seems like it.” Jaune agreed, looking to Pyrrha and giving her a grateful smile. “Pyrrha remembered a story that she’d seen before. Do you remember the book that she bought, the day we visited Tukson’s Book Trade?”

Ruby nodded, frowning a little as she tried to push away thoughts of that day. It had been so nice until it had quite abruptly been ruined by what happened to Tukson. “It was, um… a book of fairy tales, right?”

“Yes.” Pyrrha confirmed, “there’s a story in it, “ _The Warrior in the Woods_.” It’s about a man who falls in love with a woman that guards his village from Grimm.”

“What’s so special about it, though?” Ruby asked, slowly separating from the embrace with Pyrrha, head tilted slightly to the side as she looked between Jaune and Pyrrha. “What does it have to do with me?”

“Ruby…” Jaune hesitated for a moment, Pyrrha placing a hand on his shoulder and giving a reassuring nod. “Have you ever met anyone else with silver eyes before?”

“Huh?” The redhead blinked, brow furrowing in confusion. “Just me… and my mom, I guess. I know dad says I have my mother’s eyes. What does that matter?”

“It’s in the story, the, uh, titular “Warrior in the Woods” had silver eyes.” Jaune explained, looking nervously to Pyrrha. “That’s the only thing we can think of. We can read the story together, after classes, if you’d like.”

“I… I don’t know. It’s a fairy tale, right?” Ruby asked, eyes looking down as she played with the edge of her cape nervously. “What does that have to do with me?”

“We aren’t sure.” Pyrrha admittedly, reaching out with her free hand to gently pat Ruby’s shoulder, the shorter redhead looking up towards her with uncertainty in her silver eyes. “But we know _someone_ wants you to know about it. Perhaps we can look over it together, and then speak with Professor Ozpin? I’m sure he’d be willing to listen to us if he knew what happened, and the book I bought was written by him.”

“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea.” Ruby agreed, a bit reluctantly. She hated needing to go to the professors so much, but this was a complicated situation. “Um… for now, can we go to breakfast, though? I just want to spend some time with you two, before everything gets complicated.”

“Of course.” Pyrrha agreed, smiling gently as she lowered her hand down to Ruby’s, letting the younger girl take it. 

“Yeah.” Jaune was quick to agree, taking a place on Ruby’s other side, offering a free hand to Ruby as well, smiling nervously as she took it. “Let’s go.” 

The shorter redhead nodded, a sheepish smile on her face as the trio started on their way out of the dorms and towards the cafeteria, happy to have such supportive partners.


	20. Meetings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaune and Ruby meet Pyrrha's mothers, and follow up on the mysterious message from the night before. Yang and Blake talk about the growing tension between them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woooo! Another chapter, and this time there wasn't several days in between! Enjoyed writing this one a lot, especially the first part! 
> 
> Thanks to everyone for reading, feel free to leave a comment if you want to! Feedback, reviews, just a friendly little message! All of them help a ton! ♥

It was a little after noon when the trio found themselves atop the dorm’s roof yet again, huddled together as Pyrrha looked to her scroll nervously. This would be the first time she was calling her mothers since she had started the relationship with Jaune and Ruby, and while she wanted a chance to tell them about her partners, it was more than a little intimidating to think about. 

“Um…” Ruby peeked over her girlfriend’s shoulder meekly, staring at the scroll as Pyrrha hovered a finger nervously over the ‘call’ function. “If you aren’t sure about having us here, we can wait.”

“No, it’s okay… I just, I need to work up my confidence.” Pyrrha said softly, looking back at the shorter redhead with a smile. “Having you both here is important, it’s just a bit nerve wracking. The last time I introduced someone to my parents, things soon ended poorly, thanks to my fans.”

“It’ll be different this time.” Jaune reassured the taller girl, placing a hand on her shoulder and squeezing gently. “We’re with you, Pyrrha. For as long as you’ll put up with us.”

“I think I could say the same to you.” The Argussean chuckled, before looking back towards her scroll, taking a deep breath. Tapping her finger on the glass screen, she pulled up the list of contacts, finger hovering over ‘manoula.’ Feeling Ruby’s hand land on her shoulder, mirroring Jaune, she smiled, and clicked to call.

It rang for what felt like an eternity, though Ruby was sure only a minute or so had passed. Finally, a woman with familiar emerald eyes and shortcut scarlet hair came into view of the video, looking a bit surprised to have been called. “ _Matia mou? Is that you?_ ” 

“H-Hey mom.” Woah, this was the first time Ruby had seen Pyrrha look quite so sheepish. It wasn’t as though the taller redhead wasn’t nervous before or anything, this was just _different_. More intimate, Ruby supposed. “How are you?”

“ _Pyrritsa, we’ve missed you so much!_ ” Pyrrha’s mother exclaimed, smiling brightly. “ _Would you like me to get Dama? She’d love to see you, too!_ ”

“Ah, of course, mom!” Pyrrha agreed with a smile, eyes shimmering with a warmth that Ruby found rare for her girlfriend. “I have something to ask the two of you, so it’s important you’re both here.” 

“ _Dama! Louloudi mou! Pyrritsa is calling!_ ” The redhead on the other side of the screen exclaimed, Pyrrha chuckling fondly at the sound of her mother’s voice. 

“She seems nice!” Jaune noted cheerfully, his taller girlfriend’s cheeks warming as she was reminded of her partners beside her. “I can see the family resemblance.” 

“Yes, I’ve often been told that I look a lot like my mother.” Her gaze turned towards Ruby, the shorter girl jumping a little sheepishly as Pyrrha smiled warmly at her. “I guess that’s something we have in common.” 

“Y-Yeah!” The younger redhead chirped, blushing a little at the sight of her girlfriend’s smile. She looked so happy and it just made Ruby feel so embarrassed to see her that way. The stupid “butterflies in her stomach” feeling again. “Jaune’s right, though. She seems really nice.”

“She is.” Pyrrha agreed, a gentle smile on her face as she turned her focus back to the scroll, eyes lightening up with excitement as she spotted her stepmother walk into view. “Dama! How are you?”

“ _Pyrrha! My little warrior!_ ” The woman standing beside Pyrrha’s mother was tall, maybe about Jaune’s height, with long brunette hair, and freckled, hazelnut brown skin. “ _We’ve missed you so! How are you?_ ”

“I’m doing well, Dama.” Pyrrha’s cheeks darken slightly as she blushed, her eyes darting towards Ruby and Jaune. “Better than well, maybe.” 

“ _Better than well? Well, well._ ” The brunette gave a playful smile, “ _why don’t you introduce us to your “friends,” Pyrrha?_ ”

“Um, right. This is Jaune, leader of Team JNPR, and my partner at the academy. And this is Ruby Rose, she’s the leader of Team RWBY, one of our fellow teams this year.” Pyrrha’s cheeks were practically matching her hair, and Jaune and Ruby’s faces weren’t doing much better, the trio blushing brightly as Pyrrha finished her explanation. “They are my… boyfriend and girlfriend.”

The cheerful squeal Pyrrha’s stepmother let out caused Ruby and Jaune to jump in surprise, though their girlfriend seemed rather used to it, given the lighthearted chuckle she let out. “ _Congratulations, Pyrrha! They look lovely!_ ”

“Dama! You know I don’t just care about looks!” Pyrrha insisted, her cheeks warming again. “But, yes, they are both wonderful. I am happy to have found them.”

“W-Well I’m happy to have found you two, too, Pyrrha!” Ruby squeaked out, eliciting a laugh from her girlfriend’s parents, while Pyrrha just smiled gently, wrapping an arm around Ruby’s shoulder and hugging her close. 

“Yeah. Me too.” Jaune mumbled shyly, shifting a little closer to Pyrrha, who happily brought him into a hug, too. “It’s, uh, it’s nice to meet you two.”

“ _It’s nice to meet you, too, young man._ ” Pyrrha’s mom said warmly, before turning her gaze Ruby’s way. “ _And what about you, young lady?_ ”

“Oh! I-It’s wonderful to meet you!” Ruby peeped out, hiding behind Pyrrha nervously. “I-I’m glad that Pyrrha h-has such loving parents.”

“ _Oh, she seems sweet, Pyrrha! A little shy, though._ ” Dama commented, earning a gentle chuckle from the taller redhead. “ _So, what is it you want, little warrior?_ ”

“I, um, I was planning to take Jaune and Ruby out on a date, and I know you’re from Vale, so…” Pyrrha blushed as she scratched at the back of her head sheepishly, an awkward smile on her face. 

“ _You need help finding a place to go?_ ” Pyrrha nodded, eliciting a teasing chuckle from her stepmother. “ _Try along the north river, across from the residential districts. There’s quite a few Northern Mistrali restaurants there. Why, I think I met Anemone in one when you two were visiting the Kingdom when you were just a little girl._ _Where was that, again?_ ”

As Pyrrha’s stepmother asked her mom about where the restaurant in question was, the taller redhead had a gentle smile on her face, not even noticing as Ruby slipped a hand into hers, smiling up at the taller girl. 

“They’re really nice.” Ruby noted, squeezing her girlfriend’s hand, “I’m glad.” 

“They really are.” Pyrrha said softly, returning the affectionate gesture. “If you ever have the chance to meet them in person, I’m sure they’ll dote on you almost as much as I want to.” 

Before Ruby could try denying anything, the couple on the scroll spoke back up, Pyrrha’s mother taking the lead, now. “ _Pyrritsa, there’s a restaurant called “Alkyone’s Hearth,” that serves wonderful Argussean cuisine, where I met Dama. You should take your agapimenoi, they’ll love it I’m sure._ ”

“I will, mom.” Pyrrha agreed, a grateful smile on her face, eyes looking a little watery. “Thank you both for being so accepting. I-I was worried.” 

“ _Sweetheart, you know that you’ll never have anything to be ashamed of with us._ ” Her mother reassured, smiling warmly at her daughter and her partners. “ _We love you, Pyrrha. Don’t be shy about calling!_ ” 

“I love you, too, mom, Dama.” Pyrrha returned happily, a relieved sigh escaping her lips as the call ended. As soon as she put her scroll away, she drew Ruby and Jaune into a tight hug, smiling brightly as she held them close. “Thank you, both, for being there.”

“We’re happy to be there, Pyrrha.” Jaune insisted, smiling as he joined the embrace, Ruby following just after. 

“You’re our girlfriend, and you’re really amazing. We’ll always be there for you, okay?” Ruby reassured the taller redhead, looking up at her with a cheerful grin. “Now let’s get to the cafeteria, before we miss out on lunch entirely!”

* * *

“Hey, Blake, do you think we can talk?”

The feline Faunus froze, Yang’s hand gently holding on to her sleeve, violet eyes unwilling to meet her own as the duo stood in the halls. They had just finished the last class of the day, and were about to join the rest of their friends on the way to the cafeteria, before the blonde had stopped the brunette. 

“Um, yeah. Sure.” She was expecting this, really, after what had happened that morning. Things had gotten carried away, and it was probably her fault. She certainly blamed herself. 

“Look, um…” Yang chuckled nervously, cheeks pinkened lightly. It was easy for Blake to tell that this was just as awkward of an experience for her partner as it was for her, which didn’t make things easier for the Faunus. “A-About this morning…”

“Yang, I… I can’t.” Blake insisted quietly, amber eyes focused on the floor as she tried to avoid eye contact with her partner. 

“Why not?” The blonde softly asked, her voice cracking slightly as she reached for the Faunus’ hand, hesitating a few inches away. 

It broke Blake’s heart to hear her partner so sad, but she knew she couldn’t commit to something like this, not right now. She’d made a mistake, she’d gotten too comfortable, and she couldn’t let this go on, it wasn’t fair to Yang. “I can’t. Not right now.”

“Why not? D-Did I do something wrong?” Yang’s voice was barely more than a whisper, but the self loathing in it was something that Blake found very familiar. 

“No! No, Yang, you’re perfect, I-I’m just…” Blake worried she might regret doing so, but took Yang’s hand into her own, giving an affectionate squeeze. “I’m not ready to commit to something again, Yang. Wh-what happened with Adam, it was… it was bad. I-I loved him, and he was a… a monster.”

“Blake, that isn’t your fault.” Yang insisted, returning the affectionate gesture with one of her own, looking up to her partner with a solemn smile, which Blake struggled to return. “You were just a kid, and Adam was a lot older than you.”

“That doesn’t change what happened, Yang. What I did.” Blake retorted, perhaps a bit snappier than she had intended, regret flooding her as she saw the blonde flinch, the grip on her hand loosening. “I-I’m sorry! I just… I can’t. This is all my fault, I-I’m trying to keep myself from going too far with this crush, b-but it’s hard!”

“Hey, I’m the one who initiated things this morning.” Yang interrupted, the severity in her voice making it clear that she wasn’t going to just sit by and let the cat Faunus blame herself yet again for what happened. “If anything, I-I’m glad you realized you aren’t ready, yet. I-I like you a lot, Blake, but I don’t want to do anything that’ll make you uncomfortable.”

“Yang, you’ve never made me uncomfortable.” Blake said softly, squeezing the brawler’s hand tightly, “just because I’m not ready for a relationship doesn’t mean you aren’t a wonderful person, Yang. Y-You’re more than wonderful, really. You’re beautiful and confident and I just hope that I can live up to the example you give as my partner.”

“You’re giving me too much credit.” Yang deflected, cheeks dusted with pink. “I mean, I’m pretty great, but you’ve never had _you_ as a partner before.” 

“What’s _that_ supposed to mean?” Blake found herself giggling a little as Yang gave her a playful smile.

“You’re way more agile than me, and always quick in a fight.” Yang told the cat Faunus, the playfulness in her voice fading away into sincerity. “You’ve got a good heart, you’re concerned about more than just you. You’re exactly the kind of Huntress Ruby wants to be.”

“And what kind of Huntress do you want to be?”

“I… I don’t know.” Yang admitted, Blake offering her a reassuring smile. “It’ll be fine, though! I’ve got four years to figure it out, right?”

“Yeah, we’ve both got plenty of time.” Blake nodded, slowly letting go of the blonde’s hand. “And maybe… after Adam, after I’ve had time to m-move on safely. Maybe then we can revisit this… stuff.”

“I still don’t think you should let him control you like that, but…” Yang sighed, returning the smile. “Maybe I’m not the person to talk to about that. I’m not really… equipped for it. I don’t have the same experience that you do, so I shouldn’t be so presumptuous.” 

“It’s fine, Yang. It’s just… he was five years of my life.” Blake admitted, sighing softly, a hint of reminiscence mixed with regret. “It’s… hard, even now. Some small part of me still thinks I have to do what he says, be friends with only who he approves of. But I know that’s wrong, because he’d never have approved of you, and you’re amazing.”

“With the kind of guy you’ve described, I don’t want his approval.” Yang retorted, giving a cocky smile. “Anyways, I… I am sorry about this morning. Things got carried away and I guess I’m just glad you had the sense to snap us out of it.”

“Yeah. Thanks, Yang.” Blake said softly, a nervous smile on her lips as she looked at her partner. “We should get going, before anyone gets the wrong idea.” 

“Yeah.” Yang agreed, “just, uh, give me a minute to catch up?”

“Sure thing.” The Faunus agreed, giving a gentle wave as she left the blonde. 

As soon as her partner was out of eyesight, and hopefully hearing distance, Yang fell against the wall, hands clenched tightly as she bit back a sob. She should’ve known it was too much to wish for. Just… for once in her life, why couldn’t things have gone her way. She remained for several minutes, just breathing in and out as she tried to collect herself, before standing back up. 

“N-Next time, right?” The blonde reassured herself, “she’s just not ready. This doesn’t have to be the end of things.”

If only that made it feel any better.

* * *

Ruby was worried about her sister. At dinner with the two teams, Yang had been far more reserved than usual. Pyrrha's hand gently squeezing hers drew her from her wandering thoughts and back to the present, though she resolved to speak with Yang later. If her sister was feeling down, that meant something bad had happened, and there was no way she was just going to ignore it.

“Are you ready?” The taller redhead asked, her other hand occupied with the collection of fairy tales that contained _The Warrior in the Woods_. Jaune was on Ruby’s other side, looking rather nervous to be approaching the headmaster yet again. 

“Yeah.” Ruby nodded slowly, breathing in slow as she followed her girlfriend towards the elevator of the CCT. They’d sent a message to Professor Ozpin asking if they could meet with him, and surprisingly, he’d said yes, despite how vague they’d been. 

“I guess this is it.” Jaune mumbled sheepishly as they stepped inside the elevator, jolting awkwardly as it shut without being prompted, and began its journey. “I guess, uh, he has an override in his office.”

“Most likely.” Pyrrha noted, giving a reassuring smile to the blonde. It was pretty obvious to Ruby that Pyrrha was the most well adjusted when it came to speaking with authority figures, probably because of her fame in Mistral. It was clearly something she hadn’t wanted, but Pyrrha was definitely able to control whatever nerves she might be feeling a lot better than Jaune or herself. 

“I, um, how do we want to tell him? I don’t… really know what we’re supposed to do.” Ruby admitted, looking towards the ground nervously. “Like, we can’t just walk up to him and be like “hey Professor Ozpin someone I don’t know sent me a message to read a fairy tale that had a woman with silver eyes, what’s up with that,” that’d be… silly.”

“Why not?” Jaune asked, chuckling nervously as the two redheads looked his way. “Maybe not those exact words, but… being concise will only help us, since we can get to the meat of the issue.”

“Jaune’s right,” Pyrrha agreed, the blonde’s smile growing a little more confident at her reassurement. “If we just tell him what’s happened, he will be able to provide advice much sooner.” 

“I-I guess.” Ruby nodded, feeling more than a little awkward at the idea. “D-Do one of you want to start, then?”

"I can," Pyrrha offered, smiling warmly at her girlfriend as she gave another affectionate squeeze of her hand. 

Ruby returned a shy smile, cheeks warming as she blushed. "Thank you. I promise not to hide behind you two the whole time."

"Don't worry, Professor Ozpin is on our side. He'll want to help." Jaune said, though it was hard for Ruby to tell if he was reassuring her more than himself. 

The elevator let out a ding as it came to a stop, the trio stepping into Ozpin's office as the headmaster calmly sipped cocoa from his mug. "Ah, students. I hope I may be of assistance today." Placing his drink down, he folded his hands in front of him on his desk. "Now then, you said that Miss Rose received an unusual message?"

Pyrrha stepped forward, quickly explaining the important details of the situation, while Jaune and Ruby held back awkwardly. Seeing Pyrrha take charge like that wasn't common, but it was both intimidating and breathtaking, in Ruby's opinion. Were it not for Pyrrha's own reservations with the spotlight, Ruby found herself wondering if she might've made a good team leader. 

"I see." Ozpin calmly sipped from his drink again, almond eyes neutral as he looked over the students. "That someone was able to access your records and find your scroll number is quite distressing, Miss Rose. I will speak to Glynda about having a new one assigned that isn't directly connected to the network, I believe you're familiar with your uncle's?"

"Yes sir!" Ruby chirped, a little surprised at the idea. "He's shown me it before."

"Good. Now, onto this story you were directed to." Ozpin placed his drink down, adjusting his strangely designed spectacles as he looked into Ruby's silver eyes. "Miss Rose, how much do you know about your family?"

"Um, not much, sir. My dad was an orphan from Vacuo, and my mom was from Vale. I-I think Professor Greene mentioned she was a noble? But I've never heard that."

"Yes, noble isn't quite right, but your mother comes from a rather influential family." The silver-haired professor gave a gentle smile, one that again made Ruby feel like it was what a grandfather would make. "That isn't what's really important, though. The story speaks of your eyes- of silver eyes."

"Yeah! What's the big deal about that, anyways?" Jaune piped up, forgetting his nerves for a moment. "I mean, they're pretty. Um, pretty unusual, I mean. _Not that they aren't pretty!_ They're definitely pretty! I, Um… I'll shut up, now."

Professor Ozpin let out a gentle chuckle, the hint of a smirk on his often immutable expression. "Now, now, there's no need to apologize, but we'd better focus on matter at hand, young man." Ozpin let a small sigh out of his lips, before placing his spectacles on the desk. "It is true, there are a few stories of those with eyes of silver, brave warriors who fought the Grimm in a time before Huntsmen- before Kingdoms. Back before the founding of the first Kingdom."

"How much is true, of course, is up to much debate." Professor Ozpin continued, standing up and facing away from the students, his hands behind his back as he looked out the window and towards Vale. "Over time, they have become conflated, abilities and skills tied to them that likely never existed. What we can be sure of, Miss Rose, is that those born with silver eyes are born to live the life of a warrior."

"The life of a warrior?" Ruby was confused, to say the least. Part of her wanted to shout that there had to be more to it, but she wasn't sure, and she had definitely always felt compelled to be a Huntress; fighting the Grimm had been her life's goal for as long as she could remember, first, because she looked up to her mom, then to live up to her legacy. 

"Yes. I want to reassure you, though, that you have nothing to worry about." Ozpin cautioned, turning back to the students. "Whoever sent this may have had an ulterior motive, and I will make sure that they do not have access to you again."

"Thank you, sir. I'm sorry for bothering you." Ruby squeaked out, ducking her head slightly. 

"There's no need to thank me Miss Rose. You are one of my students, as headmaster of this academy your safety is my first concern." Ozpin insisted, calmly returning to his seat and placing his spectacles back on. "There's still plenty of time in the evening, you three should concern yourselves with your studies, or spending time enjoying yourselves. I'll make sure that nothing is awry for Miss Rose, and that she receives a new scroll in the morning."

"Oh, um, okay." Ruby nervously mumbled, looking awkwardly towards Jaune and Pyrrha, before returning her focus to the headmaster. "Is that all, sir?"

"Yes, Miss Rose, that will be all." Professor Ozpin confirmed with a nod. "Don't forget, I want all of you taking the next couple weeks off from any… extracurricular activities."

"Yes, sir!" Ruby chirped, giving a hearty salute to the headmaster. She was still a little nervous about what had happened, sure, not everyday you get a weird unsolicited message on your scroll after all, but Professor Ozpin had done well to reassure her. 

The trio made their way to the elevator, sharing nervous smiles as Ruby gave the headmaster another sheepish wave, which while he made no indication he had noticed, she could’ve sworn she’d seen a slight gleam in his eye. “I think that went okay?” The shorter redhead noted, as the three waited for the elevator to start, “he didn’t seem like he was really bothered, right?”

“It went fine,” Jaune reassured the shorter girl, giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze as the elevator started the descent downward. “I’m glad he’s being so quick to act on it, I was a little worried they’d treat it like it wasn’t a big deal.”

“I’m sure they wouldn’t do that, Jaune.” Pyrrha insisted, though Ruby could recognize a slight lack of conviction to the champion’s voice that made her a little sad.

The shorter girl got the impression that her girlfriend was thinking of what she’d told her and Jaune, about how her concerns over certain fans had been dismissed. Reaching a hand out to Pyrrha’s, she intertwined their fingers, giving a reassuring smile. Pyrrha returned one of her own, and Ruby could tell she was feeling at least a little better at the show of support. 

“That makes me wonder, though.” Jaune noted, brow furrowing slightly. “What would your mom be if Professor Greene was wrong about her being a noble?” 

“I don’t know.” Ruby admitted, shrugging at the blonde with a smile on her face. “It doesn’t really matter, right? That’s not what Professor Ozpin was asking about.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” Jaune agreed, ruffling the shorter girl’s hair, eliciting a giggle from her. Looking over to Pyrrha, he gave her a gentle smile, noticing she had her brow furrowed as she looked toward Ruby, though her pondering expression faded to a relaxed one as she noticed Jaune’s smile, returning it with one of her own. “Do you think we could take the night off, maybe? We could just relax, maybe read some of the other fairy tales in that collection?”

“That sounds fine, Jaune.” Pyrrha agreed, looking to Ruby, a hint of concern in emerald eyes that she did her best to hide with a smile. “Would you like that, Ruby?”

“Of course!” The shorter redhead chirped cheerfully, smiling brightly as the elevator reached its stop. The trio stepped into the main floor of the CCT, sharing smiles as they made their way to the exit, ignoring the occasional curious glance from another student. 

* * *

“You seem distracted.” Glynda noted as she approached Ozpin, her colleague standing at the window, eyes following the trio of students she’d passed as they left the CCT, no doubt. She hated that it seemed they would have a role to play in the things to come, but things had already been set in motion, despite her best efforts.

“Of course.” Ozpin agreed, a tired sigh escaping his lips as he turned around, looking far more tired than she was used to. It wasn’t the first time she’d seen him this way, but it was always disconcerting to see him when he had been lost in memories of lives before. “It never gets easier, does it?”

“What?” Glynda asked, if only to humor him. She already had an idea of what he meant.

“Lying to them. Telling them that everything will be alright, when we know for a fact that it won’t be.”

“I recall you telling me that they were children.” Glynda retorted, though her statement lacked any bite. “Do parents not lie to their children sometimes, to reassure them when things are at their darkest?”

“Perhaps it would be easier if they were actually my children.” Ozpin noted sadly, a slight frown on his face. “She looks so much like her grandmother, I almost thought I was speaking to Aurora again.” 

“You could always tell her, you know. She would love to have some connection to her family.” Glynda said, a frown forming on her face. “The way they’ve kept even stories of Summer from her, it’s disgraceful.”

“Maybe, but I understand why they did. Is it not the same thing I have done, for thousands of years?” Ozpin replied, placing his mug down and sighing again. “Everytime I have children, it only serves to bring more grief into the world, it seems.” 

“Do not be so harsh to yourself, Ozpin.” Glynda insisted, gently reassuring him. “They have done great good, even if they are not always valued by those they protect. She has found herself two wonderful guardians, I’m sure Ruby will live a long, happy life.”

“I hope so. Seeing yet another of my descendents so eager to join the fight against the darkness is both inspiring, and heartbreaking. I only hope we can do what we must to end this war, before it claims her as it did her mother.”

“We can, Ozpin.” Glynda replied as the headmaster picked up his mug again, “James may have been a fool to bring so many troops, but he’s been working with us well, otherwise. Hopefully his specialists will succeed where Vale’s police have failed.”

“Indeed,” Ozpin nodded, his expression calming to one of neutrality. “Speaking of the General, I’d like for him to provide assistance in tracking down a number on CCT. And Miss Rose will need a scroll, one that is disconnected from the direct network.”

“Oh dear, I guess whatever Miss Rose and her companions had to say was rather serious.”

“Yes, someone is directing her towards secrets she will hopefully never need to know,” Ozpin stated cooly, grip tightening slightly on his mug. “I would rather she not be burdened by them as her mother was. Thank you, Glynda.”

“Of course.” The deputy headmistress nodded, making her way towards the elevator as her scroll connected her to General Ironwood, a frown on her face as the doors shut and he gave his typical overly eager greeting.

Ozpin gave a slight roll of the eyes as he caught the start of James’ ever interested greeting, not at all surprised by his right hand’s disinterest. With Glynda gone, he returned to the window, resting both hands on his cane as he observed Beacon’s campus. It warmed his heart to see so many students fill the streets of the academy, he only hoped such times could last. First things first, they would need to assign a new Fall Maiden, and reclaim the rest of her power.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhh Greek Translation notes, thanks to killersunflower on Twitter for helping me out!
> 
> Matia Mou means "My eyes" and is an affectionate term for family members! 
> 
> Louloudi Mou means "my flower"
> 
> Pyrrha's moms are named Anemone and Akeldama! Anemone is a type of flower and means "wind," while Akeldama comes from Aramaic, and means "Field of Blood"


	21. Sister's Struggles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yang isn't doing well, that much is obvious, and Ruby wishes she could do more to help. Of course, Ruby could use some help of her own, but she doesn't think now is the time to remind her sister that she's romantically engaged.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before the Dawn was a lot of fun! Sorry for the delay, between that and my dad's birthday, I was pretty darn preoccupied!
> 
> I really enjoyed this chapter, even if it took a while, and I hope you'll enjoy it, too! 
> 
> Please leave a comment with reviews, feedback, or even just a little message, if you want! They're super inspirational and help a bunch!

A knocking at the door threw Ruby from her dreams, the redhead shooting up in surprise, eyes dashing towards the clock as she dropped from her hanging bed. 6:30am, at least she hadn’t been woken up by another nightmare. Landing with a soft “thud,” Ruby made her way to the door, rubbing tired eyes as she opened it, only to jump slightly in surprise as she spotted who was on the other end.

“Miss Rose.” Professor Goodwitch looked not too pleased to be there this early in the morning, not that Ruby could exactly blame her. In her hand was a small black box, which she reached out towards the diminutive redhead. “This is your new scroll. You have until the end of the day to transfer any information you wish to it before you need to turn in your old scroll.”

“Ah! Y-Yes ma’am!” Ruby squeaked out, accepting the box and bowing her head frantically. Gosh she was not dressed for meeting one of the professors this early! Thankfully she had decided to go with her full pajamas last night, the humidity from the ocean air had made it rather unbearable just a few nights ago. “Thank you, Professor Goodwitch!”

The blonde professor gave little more than a slight “hmm,” nodding her head towards Ruby before making her way down the hall, the nervous redhead giving a sheepish wave as the older woman entered the staircase. Brothers she was intimidating as heck. 

Giving a tired sigh, Ruby shut the door to her dorm, opening the box and removing the new scroll. It didn’t look much different, aside from a black and red trim. That was weird, she hadn’t expected anything so customized or anything. “Oh well.” She mumbled, yawning as she opened it, placing it on the table across from her and Weiss’ beds, fumbling around for her old scroll before placing the two beside each other. 

After setting up a data transfer between the two, Ruby made her way to the bathroom, quickly preparing herself for the day before the rest of her team woke up. When she'd finished, she found an awkward stalemate of sorts in the dorm room as she returned, towel still in her hands as she dried her hair.

Blake and Yang were both awake, but neither were speaking to each other. It was a bit eerie, to be honest, after how close they'd seemed to be. "Blake, do you want to get ready?" It wasn't a request, despite being phrased as a question, and luckily the Faunus caught her leader's intent, slipping past the redhead and into the other room. "Hey, Yang."

Ruby could tell that something was up, she could tell even earlier than that, having first noticed something wrong the day before, but now she could at least act. Ruby slipped up to her bunk, a few petals falling in her wake, the redhead patting the space beside her indicating her sister should take a seat. The blonde reluctantly complied, but thankfully the rather dubious appearance of the hanging bed had little bearing on its actual sturdiness. 

"What's up, sis?" Yang asked, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible, as though something wasn't clearly wrong. 

"I don't know, Yang." Ruby replied, shrugging ineffectually as she looked into tired, red eyes. Not red like when Yang was angry, red as in Yang had been crying. Something was seriously wrong if her sister had been crying. Ruby offered the blonde girl a gentle smile, the same sort she would offer Ruby as a kid, when the teasing from classmates had gone too far. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"I…" Yang hesitated, Ruby reaching out to offer a reassuring pat on her sister's leg, doing her best to put on the same motherly airs her big sister had for so many years. "It's stupid…"

"Hey," Ruby interjected forcefully, looking at her sister with the utmost seriousness. "It's not stupid. Whatever has you feeling down isn't stupid, it's important. You're important."

"I-I just… I really thought I had a chance this time." Yang admitted softly, violet eyes watering up again as an errant few tears ran down her cheeks. "Th-there was a chemistry between us, a-and she said she felt something, too, b-but I messed up, a-and there's no way she'll be interested in me, is there?"

“Oh, Yang.” Ruby pulled her sister into a hug, gently rubbing her back like Yang would rub hers as a child. “It’ll be okay. Can you tell me what she said?”

“Sh-she said that she wasn’t ready.” Yang mumbled, arms clinging to Ruby tightly as the blonde fought to keep back tears she couldn’t keep contained. An errant thought crossed Ruby’s mind, that she was glad she hadn’t gotten changed into her uniform yet, but she pushed it away as Yang continued. “She couldn’t commit, b-because she was still so soon out of her relationship with Adam.”

“That doesn’t mean she doesn’t like you, Yang.” Ruby offered softly, smiling warmly at her big sister. “If she’s not ready yet, that just means you have to wait.”

“But what if she’s just saying that? T-To let me down easy?” Yang asked, clinging tightly to the redhead. 

“Blake wouldn’t do that, Yang.” Ruby said sternly, though not without affection. She wanted to comfort her sister but she couldn’t let her go down the road of assuming the worst of their teammate. “If she says that she isn’t ready, I’m sure that she isn’t. She’s not going to treat you like some of the girls at Signal, okay?”

“B-But what if she does?”

“She  _ won’t _ .” Ruby stated, poking her sister on the forehead with her free hand. “I know that you get scared, sometimes, about that kind of stuff, but you’ve always been the girl I look up to most, Yang, and I’m sure that Blake likes you a lot. If she’s not ready, then she isn’t.”

“I know things won’t be perfect between you two right away,” Ruby continued, her expression softening as she smiled at her sister, “but I’m sure that you’ll get back to the dynamic you had before.”

“I,” Yang took a deep breath, blinking away some of her tears as a sheepish smile made its way onto her face. “I’m sorry I’m such a mess, Ruby. I-I just really thought that I might’ve found someone who really liked me for who I was.”

“Hey, don’t apologize.” Ruby poked her sister on the forehead again, eliciting a rare pout from the blonde. “And don’t think you haven’t. Blake might not be ready yet, Yang, but maybe she will be. And even if she isn’t, don’t think that it’s too late to find someone else. You’re super cool and I’m sure that there are a lot of girls who would want to date you!”

“Thanks, sis.” Yang smiled warmly at the redhead, ruffling Ruby’s hair with a soft chuckle. “I… I think I’m gonna take a walk, after I get ready for the day. I just need a bit of time alone, okay?”

“Sure, Yang. That’s fine.” Ruby nodded, giving her sister another quick hug. “Let me know if you need to talk again, okay? I love you, Yang. Don’t forget that for a second.”

“I know, Rubes.” Yang replied, dropping from the bed with a gentle “huff,” smiling up at her sister while stretching her arms. “I love you, too.”

* * *

The rest of the morning had been somewhat hectic, if only because Weiss was running late again. Ruby made an effort to include her partner more, even if it meant she couldn't sit between her boyfriend and girlfriend, but that only lasted a couple of classes before the Atlesian grew tired of the longing glances she was sending their way.

It was just after Plant Science with Professor Peach, and Ruby found herself wandering the academy's gardens on her own, Team JNPR busy assisting the professor after Nora had accidentally caused a small disaster in class. She was admittedly lonely, but she'd offered to linger behind for them during the free period until Stealth and Security with Professor Greene. 

As for now, she was letting her mind wander as she slowly stepped through the verdant expanse kept tidy by Professor Peach and several members of the non-teaching staff. In particular, she was thinking of the upcoming date she had over the weekend, the first official one she'd have with Pyrrha and Jaune. It was definitely an odd thought to cross her mind, but Ruby genuinely didn't know… what was she going to wear?

"Hey there, Ruby!" The diminutive redhead let out a startled squeak as she was drawn out of her errant thoughts by a familiar voice. 

"Oh, h-hey Velvet!" Ruby chirped nervously, offering her older friend a sheepish smile. "What're you up to?"

"Not much! We had a double combat class today, so our afternoon is free." The rabbit Faunus explained cheerfully, though her head tilted slightly to the side in curiosity as she looked at the redhead. "What about you? No Jaune or Pyrrha today?"

Oh, gosh, did she really spend so much time with them that it was almost expected she'd be with them? "No, they're with their team. Nora got caught fooling around in class." That was certainly a more favorable way of putting it than saying "Nora somehow blew up Professor Peach's thistle," and would hopefully be a good enough explanation. "I'm just waiting around for them to finish talking to her, it's nice to get to walk here."

"Yeah, the gardens are nice. Not a lot of people appreciate them, but Yatsu enjoys meditating here on the weekends." Velvet smiled softly at the mention of her teammate. "You look a bit preoccupied, though, did you need help with something?"

"I, um, not really, just…" Ruby hesitated, but then a thought crossed her mind. Of all the people to go to for fashion advice, there was always one option that stood above the rest: "do, um, do you think you could ask Coco to help me? I, um, I need… help with clothes."

Velvet held back the urge to coo at the embarrassed look the redhead had on her face, a playful smirk instead gracing the Faunus' lips. "Help with clothes? I thought that Coco liked your style, what do you need help for?"

"I, um, I'm g-going on a date." Ruby squeaked out, head dipping sheepishly at her friend's smirk. "I-I don't want to just take my combat outfit, e-even if I really like it."

"I'm sure that Coco would be happy to help," Velvet agreed, though she still had a playful glint to her eye that made Ruby a little nervous, "but we'll probably need a little more information than that. Who are you going on a date with? Jaune? Maybe Pyrrha?"

"I, um…" Ruby's cheeks warmed, taking on a hue more befitting of her cloak, hands nervously fiddling at the end of her skirt. "B-Both of them."

“Both of them?” Velvet squeaked out, eyes widening in surprise. She was, quite frankly, not expecting that answer. She, and all of Team CFVY, had a bit of a bet going, to see how the little supposed love triangle would go. 

She had assumed Pyrrha would ask Ruby out, while Coco was banking on Jaune. Fox had suggested that Pyrrha and Jaune would get together. Only Yatsu had suggested that the three might all get together, and everyone had dismissed him! “S-So you are all three going out together? That’s… bold.”

“I, um, y-yeah.” Ruby ducked her head nervously, cheeks red, not from embarrassment, but rathert shame. “I-I know it’s weird b-but I really care about them both.”

“Hey, it’s not weird, I just… wasn’t expecting it.” Velvet tried to reassure the shorter girl, offering a sheepish smile. She hadn’t intended to make her underclassman feel bad about it, she just hadn’t really expected the answer she received. “If you like them, then you have nothing to be ashamed of.”

“Yeah, I do.” Ruby mumbled, smiling slightly. “That’s why I want to get help with what to wear. I-I want to impress them.”

A soft smile graced Velvet’s lips, the older girl chuckling a little. She could certainly relate to wanting to impress certain people, especially since it felt like neither of them noticed her that way. “I’m sure that Coco will want to help you, Ruby, and I’m happy to help you, too.”

“Really?” Ruby’s face lit up cheerfully, smiling widely up at the rabbit Faunus. “Thank you!”

“Oh, there’s no need to thank me.” Velvet waved a hand dismissively, “you’ll be regretting it after Coco is done with you.”

Well, that sounded ominous.

* * *

If anyone asked Weiss’ opinion, she’d say their team was in a bit of a shambles at the moment. Sure, she and Ruby were doing okay, but whatever had happened between Blake and Yang was clearly a tension the team really didn’t need right now.

Ruby was off dawdling about waiting for Team JNPR to be liberated from Nora’s latest tomfoolery, and Yang and Blake had quickly made off in different directions, leaving the Atlesian to her own devices. Unfortunately, she wasn’t really sure what to do. She could always study, but… she wanted to work on her semblance. She wanted to make her sister proud.

After a moment of indecision, Weiss decided to go to the training rooms. She could at least practice her summoning in one of them as long as she was going to be alone. “Sal-u-tations!” Or not.

“Hello, Penny.” Weiss offered her most proper smile to the redheaded Atlesian girl who had just greeted her. “Are you having a pleasant afternoon?”

“Absolutely!” Penny chirped cheerfully, giving a wide smile to Weiss. “I was curious, do you want to, I believe the term is “hang out?” I’ve never used it before! It sounds fun!”

“Oh, well, I suppose I am free.” Weiss offered, looking a bit curiously at the artificial girl. Of things she hadn’t had an opportunity to do, the Atlesian supposed that maybe it wasn’t so strange she hadn’t had a chance to, as Penny put it “hang out.” To be honest, Weiss hadn’t, either, until joining Team RWBY. “What would you like to do?”

“I am fine doing anything you want, Weiss!” Well, that wasn’t helpful. Weiss rolled her eyes, a soft chuckle escaping her lips. If she hadn’t spent a little more than four months interacting with Ruby almost every day, she would’ve hated this, but instead, the Atlesian found it slightly endearing. 

“Well, do you want to help me train, then?” She suggested, offering the taller girl a friendly smile. “I was just on the way to do that when we… bumped into each other.”

“We didn’t bump into each other! Not this time!” At Weiss’ deadpan, Penny gave a nervous chuckle, her cheeks a light green. “Oh! That wasn’t literal, was it?”

“No, it wasn’t literal, though…” Weiss gave a soft laugh, smiling shyly at the redhead, “I suppose given how we first met, I could’ve chosen a different phrase.”

“Well, it doesn’t matter! I’ll keep it in mind for next time!” Penny chirped happily, “do you want to lead the way? I don’t know my way around the academy yet, and I’m trying to avoid just downloading a map. My father always said it was better to learn things first hand, instead!”

"Well, I suppose that would be an… admirable goal." Weiss conceded, her smile softening slight as she took Penny's hand into her own. The redhead seemed not to be concerned at all with the physical contact, so the white-haired girl did her best not to get flustered, either. 

"So, what sort of training do you have, Penny?" Weiss inquired, guiding the girl through a crowd of students, easily dismissing the whispers of gawking onlookers. Really, it shouldn't be any big deal at all, holding hands could be totally platonic, even if she did enjoy spending time with Penny. There was just something endearing about how eagerly she would greet her!

"I am trained for many things, Weiss!" Penny exclaimed cheerfully, pausing for a moment to think before continuing. "Why, it would be better to say I am just capable of everything a Huntress needs to be capable of!"

"I'm not quite sure how you can help with my training, though." Weiss commented, brow furrowing ever so slightly. "Maybe just having you as moral support will help."

"What is "moral support," Weiss? General Ironwood never spoke of that before." Penny inquired, as though the question was at all a normal one. 

"Moral support is…" Weiss paused briefly, thinking back to tireless days of training at the Schnee manor, Klein waiting on her whenever she needed him, a smile slowly forming on her lips. "Have you ever had someone there, not really helping you, but their presence makes you feel a little better?"

"Why, yes, I think I understand what you mean!" Penny announced, finger pointed in the air dramatically as though she'd made some grand discovery. "My father would attend each of my training sessions, long after the initial test period when they weren't sure if I'd work or not. Just having him there watching made me want to do even better!"

"Your father sounds like a good man." Weiss could barely even contain the jealousy in such a statement, though Penny didn't seem to mind. "I haven't had the pleasure of meeting Doctor Polendina, I don't think he and my father get along well. Do you think that, after the Vytal Festival, when we've both been made to return home to Atlas, you might be able to introduce me?"

"I'd be happy to!" Penny agreed, bringing Weiss into a spontaneous hug, the pale-haired girl grunting at the unexpected embrace. After letting her go, the redhead gave a wide smile towards Weiss, grabbing her hands tightly. "Father always wanted me to be able to make friends, but General Ironwood was concerned it might be a distraction. I'm so glad he reconsidered! Being friends with you and Ruby has been such a delight!"

"I'm glad that it has, Penny." Weiss agreed softly, giving a playful huff as she continued leading Penny towards the training building. "It's been… harder than I'd like to admit, making friends, but I'm glad that you were open to being my friend."

"I'm glad, too!" Penny gleeful nodded, tightening the remaining grip she had on her friend's hand. "I was very lonely for a long time! It's hard to say the exact time because I spent periods of my development in and out without being operational, but for as long as I can remember, until I ran into you near the docks, I didn't have any friends!" 

"It seems to me we had a far more similar life than I realized," Weiss said, smiling back at Penny as they entered the training building. "Neither of us were given the… opportunity to make many connections, because of the burdens placed on our shoulders."

"Maybe, but that just means we have to try harder now!" Penny replied, returning the smile with one of her own. "I've got you and Ruby, do you think you could introduce me to the rest of your friends? We don't have to tell them my secret. General Ironwood would prefer if no one knew."

"Of course we won't tell." Weiss reassured the girl as she led her to one of the training rooms. "We promised that we'd keep your secret, and we will. Now then… let's get to training! Or, well, moral boosting, in your case!"

“I’m combat ready! Well, not combat this time, but I’m happy to help!” 

* * *

"You look tired." Jaune stated, the shorter redhead stared dully at her boyfriend as he gave an awkward grin, realization that maybe he shouldn't have made that sort of comment. 

"What Jaune meant to ask was "how are you," Ruby?" Pyrrha corrected with a chuckle, sending the embarrassed blonde a sympathetic smile.

"No, he's right." Ruby announced with a sigh, shoulders sagging dramatically' "I'm tired. Stealth and Security doesn't really give me a good chance."

After an hour and a half in Stealth and Security, the trio - and all first year students - were on their way to dinner in the cafeteria. Having noticed how drowsy Ruby seemed, Jaune opened an arm for the shorter girl, allowing her to lean on him as they walked.

"You're not normally this tired after class, what happened?" Jaune piped up, raising a brow as he gave the shorter girl a curious look. 

"Let's just say… despite their name, Team CFVY can be quite exhausting." Ruby explained with a little chuckle. She'd have to tell Yang that one some other time. "I asked Velvet for some help- for this weekend. Or, I guess, I asked Velvet to ask Coco for some help."

Jaune and Pyrrha exchanged dubious looks, concern in their eyes. Team CFVY were a year ahead of them, and one of Beacon's most renowned (or notorious, depending on who one asked) teams in years. While not known for spreading rumors, the idea that Ruby had given direct confirmation outside their friend group that they were in fact dating was more than a little nerve wracking. 

"So, um, how did they take it?" Jaune eventually asked, giving a sheepish grin. 

"Oh, you know…" Ruby trailed off, holding back a chuckle.

* * *

_ "Pay up." Yatsuhashi calmly stated, holding a large hand out towards his teammates, a hint of a smile on his calm face. Fox was quick to deposit two bronze 1000 lien cards, followed by three from Velvet, before all eyes turned to their leader. _

_ "Damnit!" Coco grumbled, fishing around her wallet before producing a silver 10000 lien note, placing it in the Mistralan teens had with an over the top groan.  _

_ "Coco!" Velvet whispered with a hiss, eyes darting towards a very perplexed Ruby, the Faunus' hands covering the redhead's ears. "She's right here!" _

_ "So?" Coco deadpanned, batting her friend's hands aside so Ruby could hear unhindered. "You don't care if I say "damnit," do you?" _

_ "Huh? No. Why would-" a loud, frustrated sigh escaped Ruby's lips as realization dawned in her mind. "Yang's been telling people they can't swear around me again, hasn't she?" _

_ "Um. Maybe?" Velvet offered ineffectually. _

_ "Darn it!"  _ That _ earned a chuckle from Coco, a smirk on her and Fox's faces. That was weird, how Team CFVY seemed to do that sometimes. "I told Yang she doesn't have to do that. Just because I don't like saying those words doesn't mean I can't handle hearing them!" _

_ "It doesn't really matter," Fox shrugged, speaking up for the first time since Ruby joined Velvet in entering the upper class upperclassmen's dorm room. " _ I _ want to know how Yatsuhashi was able to guess that you'd date both of them." _

_ "I'm from Mistral, it's more common in our kingdom." The large teen explained, not quite speaking in a monotone.  _

_ "I-it's not going to be a problem, is it?" Ruby asked, eyes darting towards her boots as she shifted nervously in place. _

_ "Of course it won't." Coco stated plainly, "we're Huntresses and Huntsmen, we don't give in to social norms. And if anyone gives you three crap," the older team leader's glasses seemed to give an almost sinister glint, "just let us know." _

* * *

"They took it pretty well, I'd say." 

"Well, that's good, right?" Jaune asked, looking nervously towards Pyrrha. 

"It should be fine." The taller redhead agreed, offering a smile towards their joint girlfriend. "I trust in your judgement, Ruby. If you think it was appropriate to tell them, then I have confidence in your decision. Your team has spent far more time with them than we have."

"Yeah." Jaune agreed. "Besides that jerk Fox always calling me comedy relief, they seem cool, so I'm sure they won't spread any rumors."

A lighthearted giggle escaped Ruby's lips, the younger redhead grinning up at her boyfriend. "I dunno, Jaune. I think you might've got Nora beat.  _ She _ doesn't have her shoes labeled for left and right."

"That was a prank by Saphron!" Jaune pouted, though Ruby could tell that he recognized she meant no harm. "Despite popular belief, I am actually impeccable with directions!"

"Well then why aren't we at the cafeteria yet?" Pyrrha asked, doing her best to sound innocent and unassuming.

"What? I was following you guys!" The blonde insisted, eliciting a laugh from both of his girlfriends. 

"What kind of help did Coco offer, Ruby?" Pyrrha turned her attention towards the younger team leader, who blushed at the question. 

"It's a secret!" The shorter girl insisted, smiling nervously. "You'll have to find out on Saturday!"

"Well, I'm sure it'll be worth the wait." Pyrrha replied warmly, fitting her hand over Ruby's and squeezing gently, before looking over to Jaune. "Let's get going, we don't want to be late."


	22. Saturdate (part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The big day is here! Ruby's first date! Yang couldn't be happier for her sister, even if Ruby was far too nervous for her own good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay! Family is a struggle sometimes!
> 
> Good news, soundtrack soon! Looking forward to that:)
> 
> Hope y'all enjoy this chapter, I feel like the end is a bit spotty, but I enjoyed it for the most part.
> 
> Please leave comments, reviews, feedback! All that sort of stuff helps me a lot!

"Oh, my, gosh!" Yang gave a cheerful squeal, causing Ruby to jump sheepishly. "You look so cute!"

"Do you think so?" The short redhead mumbled nervously, pulling at the sides of her cloak. Looking up at the mirror Weiss had provided (how did she manage to get all these weird expensive things in there, anyways?), Ruby gave a nervous smile. 

The outfit Coco had helped her with was mostly Velvet’s, surprisingly, though Coco had helped adjust the sizes slightly for the shorter girl. A black sweatshirt, sleeves rolled up haphazardly, and a pair of shorts Velvet didn’t use too often. Smiling a little more confidently, Ruby adjusted the cloak around her neck, before looking at Yang. 

“I guess this is it?” She mumbled nervously, her big sister nodding with a grin.

“Your first date.” Yang confirmed, bringing Ruby into a brief, but tight, hug. “I’m so proud of you, Ruby. I know that you’re trying not to flaunt anything, but I’m really happy that you finally found someone - someones, I guess - that you like.”

“I-I’m happy, too.” Ruby sheepishly agreed, cheeks warming slightly. “I-I’m sure that you’ll find someone, too.”

“I, uh, I dunno, sis. I think I’m just going to try going solo for a bit.” Yang clearly didn’t sound happy about that, but before Ruby could retort, the blonde clapped her hands cheerfully together. “Right! You have to go meet Vomit Boy and Cereal Girl! Don’t worry your little head about me, okay?”

Before the redhead could protest, her big sister pushed her out of the dorm room, grinning the whole time as Ruby awkwardly sputtered in desperation. Turning around, she let out a frustrated sigh. 

“Something wrong?” Ruby gave a startled squeak, looking up towards Pyrrha. “I like your outfit, it’s simple, but cute.” 

“I-I thank you.” Ruby peeped out nervously, looking wide-eyed at her girlfriend. She looked a lot different than usual, but in a really nice way. The cozy yellow sweater Pyrrha was wearing was matched with high-waisted dark pants, and, as always, heels. She still didn’t understand how Pyrrha could stand them. “Y-You look good, too. I-I know you didn’t say exactly that but I just think that you look really nice.”

Pyrrha gave a lighthearted laugh, warm tones not helping with Ruby’s blush. “Thank you, Ruby.” The taller redhead said sweetly, smiling at the younger girl. “Jaune should be here shortly, he looked about ready to give up with the tie he was trying to get on.”

“A tie?” Ruby asked, looking a little nervous. “A-Am I dressed nice enough?”

“I’m sure you are, Ruby.” Pyrrha reassured the shorter redhead, placing a hand on the side of the younger girl’s face, brushing a few errant strands of hair from her eyes. “Jaune is just… trying to impress, even though he really doesn’t need to.”

“Aw, that’s sweet, right?” Ruby looked up towards Pyrrha brightly, smiling. “I’m sure he’ll figure something out.”

“Of course, we’ll just have to hang out here while we wait.” The taller girl said, returning the smile. “How did you sleep last night? Any trouble?”

“No, I slept pretty okay.” Ruby replied, holding her hands in front of her, swinging back and forth lightly. “My new scroll hasn’t gotten any weird messages, a-and I think I’m feeling a little better than I had been.” 

“That’s good,” Pyrrha sounded relieved to hear that Ruby was sleeping a little better, the taller girl moving her hand to the shorter redhead’s shoulder, squeezing gently. “If you’re ever having trouble, you know that you can talk to me and Jaune, right?”

“I know! I-I’m just really feeling better. Promise.” Ruby insisted, doing her best to speak with conviction. She _was_ feeling better, a lot better, but there was always a little nagging doubt that told her she was going to get worse. It didn't matter right now, though, she was here with Pyrrha, and Jaune would be joining them soon and everything would be great.

"Good." Pyrrha said gently, leaning down and giving Ruby a soft kiss on the forehead, eliciting a nervous squeak from the shorter girl. “Do you not like when I do that?”

“N-No! Nothing like that.” Ruby shook her head furiously, cheeks a warm pink. “I-I just… I’m still getting used to it. It makes me really happy that you feel that way about me, I-I hope that I live up to what you think of me…”

“Ruby, you already live up to exactly what I think of you.” Pyrrha stated, her voice affectionate but firm, knees bending as she pulled the shorter girl into a gentle hug. “Don’t let those doubts get the best of you, okay? We’ve got a big day ahead of us, just the three of us.”

“Yeah, we do.” Ruby nodded sheepishly, resting her head against her girlfriend’s shoulder. “We’re going to that restaurant, right? Alley Ko Knees Heart?”

“ _Alkyone’s Hearth_.” Pyrrha chuckled gently, briefly tightening the embrace before releasing Ruby. “And after that, we can go spend time wandering some of the city. So long as we’re finished up before the last of the evening Bullheads back to the school leaves, we should be fine, and I don’t think we’ll spend quite so many hours out.”

“Heh, yeah, I don’t think Yang would want me home so late.” Ruby replied with a warm giggle, smiling up at Pyrrha. “So, uh, what was Jaune wearing that he thought needed a tie?”

“Oh, nothing so serious as to actually need it.” Pyrrha waved a hand dismissively, a light smile on her lips. “He’s been almost as nervous as you, I guess years of dealing with media expectations prepared me for this.”

“Hmmmm…” Ruby didn’t like the way Pyrrha sounded a little sad saying that, lip forming a pout as she rested her hands on her hips, looking defiatently at the older girl. “Nope!” She announced with a pop of the “p,” before breaking into a wide smile. “You’re confident because you’re you! You’re cool and awesome and really smart. We’re just working on catching up, one day we’ll be just as comfortable as you!”

“Well, thank you for saying so.” Pyrrha replied, finding it a little hard to respond properly as her cheeks warmed a little. “I do hope Jaune will hurry, we have reservations for noon, and the Bullhead flight will be at least half an hour.”

“It’ll be fine!” Ruby chirped cheerfully, taking hold of the taller redhead’s hand. “If need be, I can always try bringing both of you with me again! If I keep at it I’ll be able to do it lots!”

“Are you sure you won’t have any issues with your semblance?” Pyrrha asked, frowning a little as the eager joy diminished in her girlfriend’s eyes. “I-I don’t mean to say you can’t, I just know you’ve been having some… troubles of late.”

“I-It’s fine. You’re right, anyways.” Ruby insisted, doing her best to dismiss Pyrrha’s worries, though admittedly it hurt a little to not have the redhead’s confidence in this. “Jaune didn’t react well to it last time, imagine what would happen if I did it after we’d eaten!”

“Yes, that’s certainly true.” Pyrrha chuckled nervously, aware that the diminutive redhead was trying her best to not be hurt. Giving her hand an affectionate squeeze, the taller girl smiled. “Tell you what, Ruby. How about tomorrow we try practicing it? That way we can be here in case there’s any problems.”

“Really?” The silver-eyed girl’s eyes lit up brightly, a cheerful smile filling her face as she looked up at Pyrrha, before pulling her into a brief embrace. “Thank you, Pyrrha! You’re like… the best with your semblance at Beacon, better than Weiss, even!”

"Ha, I don't know that that's true." Pyrrha waved her free hand dismissively, a nervous chuckle escaping her throat. "I might have more finesse, but my semblance is far more limited than Weiss'."

"W-well, she's busy with hers so I don't want to bother her!" Ruby countered, giggling softly. "Besides, I like spending time with you, and that sounds like a good way to."

"It'll be a good way for all of us to spend time together." Pyrrha affirmed, "Jaune can at least work on training his Aura. He has a lot, but he's still a little sloppy with using it beyond the basic shielding."

"He'll get better!" Ruby chirped cheerfully, a bright smile across her face, not even noticing the sound of a door opening behind her and Pyrrha. "He's already a lot better, thanks to your help. Once he finds his semblance, I'm sure he'll be even more incredible than he is!"

"I think you're giving me a lot more credit than you ought to." Jaune stated, eliciting a startled squeak from his younger girlfriend. Adjusting the collar of the white collared shirt he wore beneath a royal blue sweater, the blonde chuckled nervously. "I'm sure I'll be mediocre at best, that just means I have to do better."

"Nope!" Ruby insisted, cheeks still a bright red from embarrassment. She really needed to work on her awareness better, Jaune and Pyrrha were way too good at sneaking up on her. "You're going to be just as magnificent, you just don't give yourself enough credit!"

Jaune began to sputter out a nervous denial when Pyrrha interjected, giving the two leaders a reassuring smile. "All of us will get much better under the tutelage of the professors here at Beacon, but it's important to remember we can relax, too." 

The older girl tightened her grip on Ruby's hand ever so slightly, reaching out for Jaune's in her other. "Why don't we get going, we can discuss who is going to be the most important on the Bullhead."

"Yeah, you're right." Jaune agreed, slipping his free hand into his Jean pocket, "we're already running a bit late thanks to me."

"It'll be fine! We can just walk quickly!" Ruby announced gleefully, before looking over at her boyfriend, a teasing glint in her eye. "What happened to the tie?"

"Th-the tie?" A pout formed on Jaune's face as he playfully looked at Pyrrha, who rolled her eyes in return. "Nora, uh, threatened to staple it to me if I was having so much trouble."

"Oh." Ruby looked a little worried, offering a sympathetic smile. It was hard to tell when Nora was joking or not, especially if Ren is mediating for her. "Well, I think you look nice without it!" Nice save, Ruby! "Today's going to be great!"

* * *

The ride on the Bullhead was thankfully uneventful, conversation fading away to comforting Jaune as his motion sickness began acting up. After about half an hour on the small airship, the trio found themselves walking along the edge of the northern river that ran down from Beacon to the city proper. 

Vale’s commercial district was massive, as was befitting of a city of so many million inhabitants. Were it not for the improved transportation Dust provided, it would take weeks to trek the entirety of the city’s size, as it was, appointments across the city could still take hours to reach. 

The river didn’t quite have the same familiar sea air which reminded Ruby of home that the docks had, but the city had done well to keep the waters clean enough that the smell wasn’t an unpleasant one. She was trailing behind Pyrrha and Jaune ever so slightly, taking in more of the sights as they walked, perhaps a bit funny given she was the one of them the most familiar with the city. 

There was something about Vale that was just so enthralling to Ruby, it was hard to describe. The fact that there was this great city where so many people could live relatively safe and peaceful lives, unafraid of the Grimm… It was beautiful and inspiring to her. That was why it was so important that they’d captured Torchwick, because he was just as big a threat to that peace as the Grimm were, and that wasn’t acceptable. Sure, it had been scary, and she’d gotten hurt, but that was worth it. Anything was worth it if it meant making these people’s lives better, that was why she was a Huntress.

“Ruby?” Ah! She’d gotten distracted again. Looking up, she met the emerald eyes of Pyrrha, who offered her a polite smile. “Mind wandering again?”

“Y-yeah.” The shorter girl mumbled, blushing lightly as she fiddled with the sides of her cloak, returning a sheepish smile. “Just… thinking of how much I like Vale.”

“I didn’t realize you had such an affection for the city as you did for Patch.” Pyrrha asked, offering the younger girl a hand, which she took gratefully, her smile widening towards the taller girl as they returned to Jaune. 

“It’s hard to explain… I love Patch a whole lot, it’s where I grew up.” Ruby elaborated, “Vale is just… there’s so many people here, who never have to worry about the Grimm, and I like that. Patch still had issues from time to time, though the Huntsmen at Signal tended to take care of them pretty well.”

“I can understand that.” Jaune said, giving the duo a warm smile. “Domremy has a big city watch, my sister Ridi and her partner are members of it. We might have sturdy walls, but there’s always a risk of Grimm, it’s part of why I hated that my family was so against me becoming a Huntsman.”

“That’s something I’ve never had to relate to.” Pyrrha noted, offering her free hand to Jaune, who took it happily as the trio continued the way towards their destination. “Argus is well defended by Atlas’ military, so the occasional Grimm that comes up from the ocean is dealt with swiftly. I’ve always wanted to be a Huntress, but never because I experienced the need of them.”

“Ah, well, I wouldn’t say that’s _why_ I want to be a Huntress, but it’s definitely one of the things that inspires me, same with my mom.” Ruby explained, smiling softly at the mention of her mother. “I’ve always wanted to protect people, even if the people of Patch are the ones I have the most experience protecting. I guess it’s in the blood, right? Both of my parents were Huntsmen, and now me and Yang want to be.”

“Maybe not exactly in the blood,” Jaune offered, “but I think that having family who are a part of that life certainly helps. My dad may have retired, but I remember growing up on stories of Huntsmen, up until his injury.”

“Dama was certainly an inspiration for me, and we aren’t related by blood.” Pyrrha agreed, her pace picking up a little. “I know that my father was a Huntsman, but that was never my sole inspiration. I’ve always felt a calling to protect people, at least as far back as when I found my semblance. I had a friend who had a very powerful semblance, but he hated it, and I always thought that it was foolish of him.”

“Maybe he was scared of it?” Ruby suggested, “sometimes semblances can be weird or unnerving. One of my classmates at Signal hated her semblance because it made other people uncomfortable, so she always tried not to use it.”

“What was it?” Jaune asked, head cocked slightly to the side. 

“Uh, it’s hard to explain. It made you see things when she looked at you, like… if you’ve ever had sleep paralysis, it’s that sort of stuff.”

“That certainly sounds uncomfortable.” Pyrrha nodded, “in this case, though, I think he was just afraid of water. I’m sure there’s a story behind it, but he never told me, and after I started to gain popularity, we didn’t see much of each other.”

Before Ruby could ask for further information, Pyrrha came to a stop, Jaune and Ruby pulled back by her grip as they continued on without thinking. “We’re here!” She announced, smiling brightly as she let go of her partners’ hands, turning to face the restaurant properly. 

It wasn’t the fanciest place in Vale, that was for sure, having more of a family run energy to it, but that was fine to Pyrrha. She hated going to fancy places whenever her family ate out or after a tournament, having people wait on them excessively. While she knew that given the Northern Mistrali origins of the restaurant, it was unlikely she’d go unrecognized, she hoped that at least she wouldn’t be treated as such a celebrity.

"Alkyone's Hearth…" Ruby was a bit wide-eyed as she looked at the restaurant. It was definitely fancier than the diner her dad would take the family to every once in a while. Looking to Jaune and then Pyrrha, she frowned, hand going for a silver brooch notably absent from her attire. "A-am I dressed okay?" 

"You're fine, Ruby, don't worry." Pyrrha said with a smile, offering her hand to the younger girl, who timidly accepted. This was going to be their first real date, it was more than a little intimidating now that they'd arrived.

Stepping inside the building was a little relieving, at least; warm, cream colored walls greeted them, the interior furnishings fairly standard save the occasional hint of Northern Mistrali architecture. In front of them, a nervous looking teenager stood at a small table thing. Ruby wasn't exactly sure what to call it, and it didn't really matter as the teen addressed them.

"Oh! Um, w-welcome to Alkyone's Hearth. D-do you have a reservation?" It was clear by the way he fidgeted, looking nervously towards Pyrrha, that he recognized the Mistral Regionals Champion. 

"Reservation for a Nikos." Pyrrha said plainly, the almost monotone politeness catching Ruby a little off guard after a couple weeks without hearing it. This was her "pleasant because I have to be while talking to fans" voice. 

"Y-yes, ma'am!" The teen nodded frantically, wolf ears flat against his head as he grabbed three menus, sheepishly beckoning the trio to follow him to a table. Placing the three laminated sheets of paper on the large booth table presented to them, the Faunus retreated haphazardly with a simple "here's your table!"

The three stood indecisively, one of the menus across from the others, before Pyrrha shared a glance with her partners, and took the lonely menu and placed it between the others. "It'll be a tight fit, but I think we can manage." The redhead said warmly, taking the seat furthest in, pulling Ruby along to sit between the two members of JNPR. 

It was… cozy. Well, that was a bit generous, it was rather cramped, but Ruby didn't mind, she didn't want to sit away from Jaune or Pyrrha, and if that meant being a little stuffed in then it really wasn't too big a deal. 

While Ruby was unfamiliar with the food, the menu was kind enough to include descriptions, and she soon enough found what she needed, while Pyrrha peered over her to help guide Jaune towards something he might enjoy. 

"So, um, your parents met here, right, Pyrrha?" Ruby mumbled nervously, eyes darting around as they waited for a server to tend to them. Looking over towards the Faunus near the entrance, she frowned a little. He seemed to be having a bad day, ears still low to his head. Had something happened?

"That's right." Pyrrha confirmed, drawing Ruby's attention back to her. "Mother had a business trip bringing her to Vale, I was only five at the time, so I had to stay in Argus with some friends of my mother."

"Mother met Dama here, sitting at the bar, from what little they've told me." The taller redhead continued, idly tapping her finger against the table while they waited. "I don't know many details, but I can tell you they certainly fell into a whirlwind of romance! Why else would Dama have moved to Argus after only spending a couple days with my mother?"

"Only a couple of days?" Jaune sounded a little incredulous, though he had the decency to look sheepish when Pyrrha turned her verdant eyes on him. "Not that I'm suggesting it didn't happen! Just that it sounds like something out of-"

"A fairytale!" Ruby interrupted the sputtering boy with a squeal, the gleeful realization sending her looking wide-eyed towards Pyrrha. "That's so _cute_! How soon did they tell you? Did they get married really soon after, too, or did they take a while? I always wanted to have that happen to me - falling in love at first sight - I mean it didn't and I'm super happy with you two I just always really liked that part of fairytales it's like they were meant for each other!"

At the warm smile Pyrrha was giving her, Ruby gave a startled squeak as she realized that she'd been going on for a bit without letting her girlfriend or boyfriend respond. "I-I'm sorry!" She blurted out, cheeks red from ashamed embarrassment. "S-sometimes I just -can't stop it's like my brain is going even when it doesn't need to and it-"

"It's okay, Ruby." Pyrrha said gently, placing a hand on the shorter redhead's cheek, as she leaned down to give a peck on her forehead. "There's nothing wrong with that, it's just another thing for us to love about you."

"Really?" Ruby asked, red faced after the display of affection, silver eyes shimmering with nervous tears she was trying to fight back. 

"Of course!" Jaune agreed, his hand finding Ruby's atop the table, the shorter girl turning to find the blonde giving her a confident, reassuring smile. "It's not something wrong with you, even if it's not super common with other people. One of my sisters, Ginger? She's really smart, but she can't do writing at all. We don't know why, but ever since she was a kid, she's had trouble with it. She used to be really ashamed of herself, but our mom made sure she knew that it didn't mean anything was wrong with her. That's true for you, too."

"Thanks…" Ruby mumbled, smiling softly as she ducked her head slightly, the embarrassment she was feeling now from affection rather than shame. Oh gosh both Jaune and Pyrrha were being attentive and it made her feel really awkward, time to deflect attention away from her! "So, um, I wonder where the server is!"

Pyrrha looked around, brow raised at her girlfriend's statement. It _had_ been an awful long time for no one to come tend to them. "Um, excuse me!" The taller redhead called out to the wolf Faunus near the door, the teen jumping in surprise and turning to look towards her. "Do you know where our server is?"

As the Faunus nervously approached, Ruby looked around the restaurant more. It wasn't as though they were uncrowded, but there were maybe a few less people than she might've expected on a Saturday at lunch time. More curious than that, though, almost every customer was some sort of Faunus, with the only other humans being those seated with Faunus. Finally, though faint, she could just barely make out what appeared to be three faded scratch marks on the wood near the entrance.

"Okay! That solves that." Pyrrha said, her voice drawing Ruby out of her fixating, silver eyes returning to the taller redhead. Noticing her girlfriend looked a little lost, Pyrrha smiled, explaining what she'd missed. "The boy apologized for the inconvenience and said that he would go get someone."

Oh, gosh, now she felt bad. She hadn't meant to inconvenience anyone, she just wanted to turn the attention away from herself. 

After a couple awkward minutes passed, a rather imposing woman approached the table, wearing an apron that barely seemed to fit her stout frame. By Ruby's guess, she had to be closer to seven feet than six, not counting the pair of striped horns that sprouted from her head; the closest person she could compare the Faunus to was Yatsuhashi, who seemed to have a similar frame. 

"Apologies for the inconvenience, folks." The towering woman said, offering a dip of her head that made Ruby feel all the worse.

"I-it's okay!" The diminutive redhead squeaked out, "I-I was just being impatient."

"Even if you were, it's no excuse." The woman shook her head dismissively. "We're shorthanded as is, but add in nonsense like that ruckus yesterday, and employees get a bit skittish."

"What happened yesterday?" Jaune piped up, doing his best to not be intimidated. Whatever bulk Cardin had was dwarfed by the woman's size. 

"Just some stupid ruffians causing a fuss. Nothing you kids need to worry about." The Faunus' eyes drifted towards Pyrrha, head dipping ever so slightly with respect towards the green-eyed girl. "Not every day we get a celebrity from back home to visit. I hope everything will be up to your standards, Miss Nikos."

"Oh! I'm sure it will be!" The taller redhead insisted, her voice absent some of the near monotone it usually took when people brought up her status. "We were looking for somewhere less… extravagant than my agent would've allowed. Now that I'm no longer in Mistral, I can enjoy some of the simpler things in life."

That sounded a little planned ahead, in Ruby's opinion, and apparently the large woman agreed. "Yes, well, either way, I'll take your orders, make sure things get done right."

"Oh, very well." _There_ was Pyrrha's passive voice that Ruby disliked. "What might your name be, ma'am?"

"Alkyone." The color faded from Pyrrha's face, her smile fading slightly. Getting special treatment from the management was the last thing she'd wanted, and with the trio so distracted by the imposing woman's presence, they didn't even concern themselves as a few of the now curious customers took pictures on their scrolls.


	23. Saturdate (part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things finish up at Alkyone's Hearth. Meanwhile, Weiss finds herself again spending time with Penny.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh this is out pretty quick again, wow that soundtrack is a life saver, huh?
> 
> Really enjoyed this one, hope you enjoy it too!

After the restaurant’s owner departed with their orders, Pyrrha let out an uncharacteristic sigh, burying her head in her hands. Of all the things she didn’t want today, it was special treatment, and thanks to her asking where their server was, she undoubtedly came across as just as snooty as so many tabloids made her out to be back in Mistral. Argus may have had a more favorable view of its favorite daughter, but Mistral was as quick to deride its celebrities as it was to elevate them above others.

“Hey,” Ruby’s gentle voice drew Pyrrha out of her worries, the taller redhead looking into worried silver eyes. “I-I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“No, Ruby, it’s okay.” Pyrrha gave a halfhearted smile, trying to reassure the younger girl. “I just… wanted things to be nice and simple for our date, I didn’t want any sort of special treatment.”

"Hey, try not to think of it like that." Jaune suggested, offering the duo a smile. "You weren't wrong, Ruby. Our server was taking longer than expected, and while we probably could have waited a little longer, we were polite asking about it, even if one of us was zoning out."

As Ruby gave a nervous chuckle, the blonde turned his focus on Pyrrha, who was still looking a bit stressed. "Pyrrha, whatever you're worrying about right now? It doesn't matter. We're here, all three of us, and we're sticking to that, remember? We didn't come here because you wanted special treatment, we came here because this is where your mom met your stepmother, and both of them wanted you to bring us here."

"I know, I just… I was hoping for something simple." Pyrrha lamented, trying to give at least a halfhearted smile. 

"Well, then let's do something simple." Jaune stated matter-of-factly, as though it was the easiest thing in the world. "There's cafes between here and the nearest arcade. Let's stop at one on our way there."

"Yeah!" Ruby agreed enthusiastically, a wide smile forming on her face as she looked up towards Pyrrha. "I'm sure that somewhere that isn't as Mistrali won't make as big a deal about you, and if you're worried, you can use my cloak as a disguise again! Maybe a shawl?"

Pyrrha looked to her companions, a soft, somewhat forced smile on her lips. She was gladdened by Jaune and Ruby’s desire to cheer her up, but it was hard for her to feel relief at the moment. “I think that sounds lovely,” she said gently, lacking some of the warmth in her voice. "We just need to finish up here, first."

"Hey! Cheer up!" Ruby insisted with a dramatic pout, nudging her shoulder against her girlfriend's arm. "Jaune was right, your moms did suggest this place, so why don't you mention that to Miss Alkyone when she gets back here! Maybe she has a really good memory of every customer!"

“I don’t think that’s really a thing that happens outside of cheesy movies, Ruby.” Jaune teased, causing the silver-eyed girl to turn her pout on him, eliciting a nervous chuckle from the blonde. “But who knows! Maybe we’ll be really lucky!”

“You two are always filled with such ceaseless optimism.” Pyrrha said gladly, a little of her joy returning as she watched her boyfriend and girlfriend trade pouts. “I can ask, if only so I have an opportunity to apologize more directly for being an inconvenience.” 

“We can all apologize.” Ruby insisted, not really able to pull off the dramatic folding of her arms she would have, given the tight confines they’d chosen to eat in. “I was the one who mentioned it in the first place, you were just relaying what  _ I’d _ said.”

Jaune chuckled softly at the exchange between girls, a soft smile on his face. As much as he was happy to just let them debate who would apologize first, he knew it was probably a good idea to change the subject. “So, after the arcade, what would you two like to do?”

“Oh, um, I hadn’t thought about it.” Ruby confessed, turning to Jaune, head tilted to the side slightly in confusion. “Did you have an idea?”

“Well, not really. Figured we could take a walk in a park, but that’s a bit cliche.” Jaune admitted sheepishly. “I guess it depends on whether we want to eat dinner in Vale or back at school.”

“We can decide after we’ve enjoyed the rest of our date.” Pyrrha suggested, “we don’t need to plan it all in advance. Not having an itinerary while I'm out on the town is rather… refreshing."

"Okay! We don't  _ have _ to be back for a while, assuming we won't have issues with Yang if we're out late." Jaune agreed, his gaze turning to Ruby as he mentioned the silver-eyed girl's sister.

"Um, she should be fine so long as we're back at 9pm or so.” Ruby chirped nervously. “She said “don’t stay out late tonight” but it wasn’t like in a weird way, she just… I think she could use some sister company tonight.”

“She did seem a bit… down.” Pyrrha noted, concern seeping into her voice. “It’s so unusual to see Yang not her radiant self.”

“Yeah… She thought she might have something with Blake, but… Blake isn’t ready for that kind of stuff.” Ruby explained, looping her arm around Pyrrha’s while she leaned against Jaune’s as they waited. “Yang is- Yang is really confident in herself, but… sometimes something really small can make that break. She… She feels like she’s not good enough, but she is! She just needs to get that sometimes.”

“Well, tell her I said she’s wrong.” Pyrrha said resolutely. “Yang is a wonderful girl, and a great friend. I hope she realizes how much she helped Jaune and I come to terms with our feelings towards you.”

“Yeah.” Jaune nodded, looking to Pyrrha as he wrapped an arm awkwardly around Ruby, giving the shorter girl a half-hug. “I don’t know that either of us would’ve had the guts to say anything if she hadn’t given us the push she did. If she needs help from us, we’d be happy to give it.”

“Thanks, you two.” Ruby mumbled softly, cheeks warmly slightly at how supportive her partners were being. “I’m… I’m really glad she helped you guys, I-I know I never would’ve acted on my feelings. I-I just figured you two liked each other, so it was… it was silly to like either of you. It probably didn’t help that this was the first time I’d ever really felt that way at all.”

“Well, I guess we all owe Yang a big thanks, then.” Jaune chuckled, smiling fondly at the other two. “We’ll have to remember to give her it as soon as we get back to Beacon.”

Pyrrha and Ruby nodded in agreement, and a gentle silence overtaking the group as they cuddled together as best they could. Even if there was a longer wait then they were expecting when they’d come, it wasn’t too bad, when they could pass the time with each other like this.

The wait wasn’t too long, and before long, all that remained of their meal was a dessert Pyrrha had remembered to order just before Alkyone had departed their table. Popping one of the fluffy balls of fried dough into her mouth, Ruby gave a delighted chirp, grinning widely, before looking up to her girlfriend. 

“Um, what did you call these again?” The shorter girl asked sheepishly, a bit embarrassed she couldn’t get the name to stick in her head. 

“Loukoumades.” Pyrrha replied, smiling gently at the silver-eyed girl. “My mother used to make these at home, on the rare occasions we could eat together. Hers had a bit more walnut, I think, but these are a close approximation.” Leaning down so she could place her head on Ruby’s shoulder, awkward a fit as it might be, she gave a relaxed hum. “I’d love to have her make some for you, when you can finally meet her. I’m sure she’d be glad to show you how to make them if you’d like.”

“Really?” Ruby’s eyes widened in glee, a bright smile breaking across her face. “I’d love to! They’re really yummy!” 

As if to reaffirm what she’d just said, Ruby reached out and plucked another from the plate the pastries were piled on, giggling a little as she tossed it into her mouth, cheeks puffing as she ate. Pyrrha couldn’t help but keep smiling at the cute sight, though she was glad her girlfriend had the sense to chew with her mouth closed, after eating with Nora every morning. 

Jaune chuckled a little at the pair, content to just watch as Ruby enjoyed herself. He didn't hate sweets, but they definitely weren't his thing. Probably something to do with Daffodil playing pranks on him with the salt and sugar at dinner- who knew sugar could ruin a good meal so easily? 

Ruby was so consumed in eating the treats she didn't even notice the bulky gazelle Faunus approach the table, cheerfully eating as her girlfriend and boyfriend addressed the woman. 

"Thank you for the excellent meal, ma'am." Pyrrha said, doing her best to not default into her "viewer-friendly persona" and speak genuinely. "I want to apologize again for our impatience."

"It's fine, really." Alkyone insisted, "compared to some of the customers we've seen since the neighborhood "cleaned up" you folks are angels."

"Doesn't make it right, ma'am." Jaune insisted, giving a halfhearted smile. "The food here was really great. I'll be sure to recommend it to the rest of us at Beacon."

"You kids really don't have to do that." She insisted with a sigh, shaking her head slightly. "How'd you find this place anyhow?" 

"Oh!" Pyrrha perked up a little. "I meant to mention that, actually. My mothers recommended it! I'm sure you don't remember but they met here about twelve years ago."

The gazelle Faunus cocked her head slightly to the side, inspecting the taller redhead for a moment. "Hmm, I suppose you always looked a bit familiar." Alkyone said, "not that my memories impeccable, but I *do* take photos of couples if they want, and they did." 

The Faunus stepped away for a moment, going to a wall of photos, pulling one down. While she was gone, Ruby finished the loukoumades, giving a content sigh. 

"Those were great!" She announced cheerfully, an exaggerated sigh of contentment drawing chuckles from the other three. Wait. Other  _ three? _ Ruby let out a startled squeak as she looked up at the imposing figure of the restaurant's owner. "I, um! You guys apologized without me! I-I'm sorry, ma'am!"

Alkyone gave a dismissive wave of her hand, a hearty laugh escaping her lips. "No need to apologize, kid. Especially after the little performance you just gave! I don't think anyone has had that reaction to my loukoumades before." The Faunus chuckled, baring her teeth slightly with a wide grin as she placed a wooden picture frame down on the table. "Here's the picture I was talking about. They signed it and everything."

Ruby inhaled sharply in awe, eyes wide with glee as she looked at the photo. Though a little faded, the women were clearly the same that Pyrrha called her mothers, though there were a few differences. Dama's hair was cut short and messy, the lack of flowing locks revealing a gnarled scar near her neck, one that if Ruby was to guess, hadn't come from a Grimm's claws. Pyrrha's birth mother - Anemone, if the silver-eyed girl recalled correctly - had gorgeous long hair brought into a brain hanging over one shoulder.

"You look even more like your mom in the picture!" Ruby chirped cheerfully, looking up to her girlfriend with a happy smile. 

"Yes. I suppose my hair does resemble hers, there." Pyrrha agreed softly, returning Ruby's smile with a gentle one or her own. "Do you think I could get a copy of this? I'm sure my mothers would love to see it again."

"Sure. I keep digital copies just in case something happens when the riffraff cause a fuss like yesterday." The towering woman agreed, fishing her scroll out of her pocket and pulling up the file, allowing Pyrrha to access it. "Don't get too many human couples here nowadays, it's nice to remember a time when I did."

"Well, um, maybe you could get a picture of us?" Jaune offered, chuckling nervously. "I know we're a little more than a couple, but, this way you'll have a new picture to add to that wall. Assuming that's fine!"

"I don't mind," Pyrrha said warmly, giving a tender smile towards the blonde. "It sounds wonderful… and normal. I think I'd like the chance to do something more normal like that."

"Alright, I think I can manage, so long as you three stay squished together like that." Alkyone agreed, taking Ruby's frantic nodding as an affirmative. Sliding into the booth seat on the other side of the table, the gazelle Faunus took up her scroll, taking a picture of the trio. "That should do. I can get you a copy as well, if you want. I'll have this one set up this evening."

"Thank you very much, ma'am." Jaune gave a happy smile, as the Faunus again transferred a copy of a picture, now theirs, to Pyrrha. 

"It was really lovely coming here." Pyrrha affirmed, a little bit of relief slipping into her voice. "I was worried, but it's been a relief. I was worried that coming here would cause a big fuss, but I'm glad it hasn't been one at all."

"Well, I'm glad you kids have had a good time." The Faunus gave another teeth-baring grin, standing up with a slight jolt to the table's balance. "You kids enjoy the rest of your drinks, and have a nice day."

"Thank you!" Ruby peeped sheepishly, returning the woman's grin with a meek one of her own. As the woman walked away, Ruby gave a nervous giggle. "I bet she used to be a Huntress."

"What makes you say that?" Jaune asked, brow raised curiously. 

"Well, for one, she's just… big! Really big!" Ruby managed to keep from exclaiming, but there was a giddiness to her voice. "And the way she walks? That slight limp? That's pretty common in Huntsmen who've retired from injury. It's seen as a sign you're ready to retire when something like that happens."

"You know a lot about that stuff, huh?" Ruby nodded to Jaune's question. "Why to into cooking, though?"

"Because cooking is one of the most common things a Huntsmen will have to learn." Pyrrha offered, earning an enthusiastic nod from her girlfriend. "When we're out on the field, knowing how to cook will make life much easier. Same with knowing how to hunt for prey animals."

"That's right!" Ruby grinned cheerfully. "Outside of village watches and teaching at combat schools, cooking is one of the most common professions of retired Huntsmen!"

"Huh. I guess that makes sense." Jaune shrugged, before sipping down the last of his soda from the straw. "I guess we're done here?"

The two girls shared a look before nodding, the trio shuffling out of the booth with a little bit of relief. As nice as it was to cuddle there, they also were rather cramped, it was great to have some space. After Pyrrha left their payment (along with a sizable tip considering the inconvenience they'd caused), the teens made their way to the exit, Pyrrha and Ruby letting Jaune take the lead this time.

As they passed the doorway, something occurred to Ruby, and she brushed three fingers against the faint scratches in the wood. She couldn't remember exactly why, but she recalled reading that she should do that when she saw that symbol. Weird, she'd have to try researching it when she made it back to Beacon.

* * *

Weiss was having an… interesting day, so far. She had intended to train again, to try summoning yet another time in her quest to impress her sister. Instead, she had again found herself with Penny Polendina, wandering the campus of Beacon Academy, showing the excitable girl some of the various scenic areas. As much as she hated having a distraction like this  _ again _ , there was something inescapable about the energy the curly haired redhead had that made it easy to look past. 

“The farms are fascinating, Weiss!” Penny announced cheerfully, giving a wide smile to the Atlesian. “I can certainly see why you said Ruby frequents here! All of these animals are quite exquisite to look at.”

“I… suppose they are.” There was certainly something cute about them, but if there was one thing Weiss had learned in living with her family, it was that she shouldn’t  _ say _ that they were cute. It was… very tempting. 

“Especially the cows! I didn’t know Beacon had cows.” Penny chirped, shuffling in place awkwardly. “Atlas Academy didn’t have any fancy stuff like this when I was given a tour by your sister!”

Whatever levity Weiss felt drained at the mention of Winter, and she sighed. “I suppose they wouldn’t in Atlas, even with the artificial climates.” Taking a deep breath, Weiss put her best smile on, looking to her friend. “Would you like to see the gardens, where Professor Peach teaches?”

“If you don’t mind!” Penny nodded, head tilted to the right as she held her hands in front of her. “Do  _ you _ want to do anything, Weiss?”

“I…” Weiss found her expression faltering slightly, “I’m not sure.”

“Surely you can think of something!” Penny said, reaching out to take the white-haired girl’s hands, holding them tenderly as she offered a smile. “I don’t mind! You’ve done so much for me already, and you said you’d help me make even more friends.”

“I…” Weiss felt her cheeks warm a little as Penny’s hands covered her own, doing her best to fight back the blush. “Um, do you think we could still go to the gardens? I… I admit some selfishness in wanting to go there, they help me calm down when I’m feeling… listless.” 

“Of course!” Penny exclaimed cheerfully, bouncing up and down ever so slightly with an energy Weiss felt even Ruby might envy. "I am ready to go when you are!"

The two remained there for a second, Penny not having removed her hands from Weiss’ until the shorter girl timidly tugged hers away, cheeks dusted pink as she clamped her arms to her sides awkwardly. “Right. Follow me!” The Atlesian barked out, her voice squeaking awkwardly as she straightened her combat skirt and started leading Penny to the gardens. 

The unusual duo were silent for a time, save Penny’s occasional humming, eventually, curiosity got the better of Weiss. “Hey, Penny, can I ask you a question?”

“Of course, Weiss!” The cheerful redhead chirped, smiling brightly as the white-haired girl looked back at her. “What did you want to know?”

“I was curious,” the Atlesian hesitated a moment, returning the smile Penny was giving her. “Have you ever… wondered what it might be like, to live a normal life?”

“A normal life?” Penny’s head tilted to the right, blinking curiously. “I’m not sure I understand the question, Weiss!”

“I mean… A normal life, one without the expectations of my f- of General Ironwood.”

“I hadn’t given it any thought!” Penny admitted without a moment’s pause, smiling at Weiss. “Maybe, one day, when things are safer, I can ask him and my father about that.”

“I suppose that’s the best we can hope for,” Weiss said, more to herself than her companion. 

“I wouldn’t mind it, though!” The Atlesian stopped for a moment at Penny’s added comment. “Being friends with you and Ruby… watching all of you go to Beacon and attend classes. It’s really interesting, and I’d love to try it someday.” 

“Maybe… maybe we both could,” Weiss mumbled, offering a hand for Penny, who took it cheerfully. “Let’s go, I’ve been delaying us when I could be showing you the gardens, I think you’ll appreciate them even more than the farms.”

“If you enjoy them, then I’m sure I’ll enjoy them just as much!” Penny agreed cheerfully, smiling brightly as she followed after Weiss.

* * *

Getting to a cafe near the arcade they were going to, one that Jaune had apparently visited a couple times while he was waiting for Beacon's school year to start, was easy enough. Though the distance was a bit far, a quick cab ride saw them there in less than a quarter of an hour, and now Ruby was between Jaune and Pyrrha as they casually walked to the arcade. 

Ruby had, of course, gone with a classic for herself, hot cocoa. Her dad used to joke about it running in her mother's family, but she just thought it was tasty. Jaune had gotten something called a cafe au lait, with (somehow) not a hint of added sugar. Apparently, they were popular in Domremy and other Eastern Sanus cities and towns. Pyrrha, on the other hand, went with a simple caramel frozen coffee. 

“Are we almost there?” Ruby asked, looking up to Jaune as they waited for the all clear on a crosswalk. With the festival approaching some months away, it seemed like things were getting busier and busier each day. 

“Shouldn’t be too much longer,” the blonde reassured, taking a satisfied sip of his drink as he reached out with a free hand to ruffle the shorter redhead’s hair. “How’s your drink?”

“It’s good!” The younger girl chirped, pouting ineffectually at her boyfriend as he messed up her already disheveled hair. Turning to look at her girlfriend, the silver-eyed girl smiled brightly. “How about you, Pyrrha? Is your drink good?”

“Yes, a little sweeter than I thought it’d be, but I don’t mind.” The taller girl replied with a gentle lilt to her voice. 

With traffic coming to a halt, Jaune led Pyrrha and Ruby across the street, bringing them to a stop in front of a rather garish building compared to its surroundings, the words "The Thrush Rush" on a gaudy sign above the entrance, circled with blinking lights. 

"What exactly is this place?" Ruby asked, giving Jaune a rather skeptical look. After all the hyping up he'd done, this certainly wasn't what she was expecting. Even the arcade back on Patch was a bit more maintained looking than this. 

"The Thrush Rush!" Jaune repeated what was on the sign, sounding  _ way _ too enthusiastic for what they were looking at. Raising his brows with a cheerful expression, he did his best presenting motion to the sign, as if Ruby had simply not seen it, earning a deadpan stare from the short redhead. 

"Jaune, I don't know how to tell you this, but this place looks a bit… raggedy." Ruby didn't want to say "rundown," but it was a rather apt description of the place. Her shoulders sank in sympathy as the blonde deflated into a pout, and she decided that maybe she shouldn't judge a book by its cover, or arcade, in this case. "I-I mean, that doesn't mean it'll be bad! I just thought it was going to be really fancy with how you talked about it."

"I'm sure it'll be fun, Ruby." Pyrrha reassured the smaller girl, placing a hand gently on her shoulder and offering a squeeze. "I've certainly never been to one of these in a long while. I can't even remember the sorts of games they might have."

"Well, I can show you, then!" Jaune exclaimed, taking Pyrrha's hand with a wide smile. After noticing Ruby was hanging back a little, he frowned slightly. "Is something wrong?"

"N-No! I just, sorry." Ruby mumbled, ducking her head a little. "I was just thinking about the last time I'd gone to the arcade back on Patch. I guess it just reminded me that I haven't really gotten to see any of my friends back at Signal. I-I didn't have many, but I did like the ones I had."

"Don't you write?" Jaune asked, recalling that he'd heard mention of her writing them before. 

"They… no one responded. Th-they didn't all take it well when I told them I was going to Beacon, but I thought that they still liked me." Ruby said, her voice barely above a whisper as she looked towards the ground. Whatever bleak thoughts had begun to pester her faded suddenly, as she was brought forward into a tight embrace, the redhead looking up to find Jaune and Pyrrha holding her close.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Ruby." Pyrrha's voice was soft, filled with a sympathy Ruby felt could only come from similar experience. "But we are here for you, okay? Me, Jaune, Ren and Nora, too. You've got us, you've got your team, and you've got Team CFVY, too."

"Yeah, and we aren't going to leave you, either." Jaune affirmed, his voice tinged with a hint of frustration, and maybe disappointment? "People who just… leave you behind because you're following your dreams aren't worth your time."

A sigh escaped the blonde’s lips, the teen shaking his head before he smiled gently at his girlfriends. “Come on, let’s go have some fun, that’ll cheer you up.” He suggested, as their embrace slowly broke. 

Ruby looked up to Jaune, nodding slowly. “Yeah, you’re right. Thanks, you two.”


	24. Saturdate (part 3)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Ruby's date with Pyrrha and Jaune continues, at Beacon, two people receive some much needed distractions from the dismay plaguing their minds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhhh this one didn't take too long, I've been having a nice time yesterday.
> 
> The art is by @s_assy_girl on twitter!

The inside of the arcade was nice! A bit crowded maybe, but Ruby was able to ignore that as long as she was with Jaune and Pyrrha. Jaune had been quick to buy the duo some tokens, insisting that he at least had to be able to do that, after Pyrrha had paid for their meal at the restaurant, and Ruby grabbed the drinks for everyone. The sentiment was nice, at least, and it wasn’t as though he’d insisted he had to pay for everything just because he was a guy. 

They were currently still around the entrance of the sizable main room, trying to decide what to play first. Ruby had suggested they play a shooting game, but Jaune was a little hesitant to go against two girls who both had experience with rifles when he lacked any experience with firearms. 

“Well, what do you want to play, then, Jaune?” Pyrrha asked, the picture of serene patience that Ruby wished she could be, the younger girl fiddling awkwardly with the sides of her cloak as her boyfriend and girlfriend talked. “There seems to be a sizable helping of unattended games.”

“Hmm…” Jaune looked around the room, before settling on something Ruby couldn’t see past the crowd (darn people being tall!), a mischievous smile slipping onto the blonde’s face. “How about this, we play some of the shooting games, but in exchange, you two have to go against me in one of the dancing games.” 

“Yeah, sure!” Ruby agreed without a second thought, happy that they’d come to a decision. At Pyrrha’s nervous chuckle, Ruby turned to look back at the taller girl, giving her the best reassuring smile she could. Maybe she should have waited until her girlfriend had come to a decision as well, so Ruby offered an addendum. “I-If that’s okay with you, Pyrrha!”

“Oh, I don’t mind, Ruby.” The taller girl insisted, waving a hand dismissively. “It’ll be fun to see who scores higher, in both games.”

“I’ll have you know I’m going to do the best.” Jaune boasted, Ruby chuckling at the confident grin the blonde was giving the redheaded duo. “Come on, I know the way.”

Following their boyfriend’s beckoning wave, Ruby and Pyrrha walked through the crowded arcade, the younger girl quick to grab the older’s hand to comfort as the amount of people in the room became more apparent. Maybe agreeing to a dancing game wasn’t a good idea after all, they might get an audience. 

“Here we are!” Jaune announced, enthusiastically patting the side of a rather… well used machine of “Grimm Night,” an old shooter that Ruby had some experience playing back on Patch. On noticing the almost wicked grin the shorter redhead was giving him, Jaune deflated slightly, pouting. “Let’s get this over with.”

Unsurprisingly, Ruby was the best at the game, having played more hours than she really ought to have back when she frequented the arcade while living on Patch. What _was_ surprising was how badly Pyrrha did. Maybe Uncle Qrow was lying when he told Ruby that playing games like this was good practice for using Crescent Rose’s rifle form. 

Jaune was surprisingly decent at it, given his lack of confidence. Even if he didn’t have experience shooting a real gun, he had played similar kinds of stuff in the past. Ruby flashed him a gentle smile as she stood next to Pyrrha, having to rely on her tiptoes to try getting on an even level as the taller girl faced off against the blonde again. 

Pyrrha did prove to be a quick learner, at least, and soon enough the final game between her and Jaune was a lot closer to a tie than the first had been, Ruby happy to step aside and just help her girlfriend after her first match had gone so well. As they stepped away from the machine, Ruby made sure to step between the older two, feeling far more comfortable with the crowds that way as they walked the short journey to the old dancing game. 

Unlike the last game, this one actually had a wait, so the trio found themselves loitering as the line died down. Jaune looked a lot more confident here than he had at the shooting game, and Ruby got the suspicion that he might be a bit better at dancing than he was with shooting. That was kind of a funny thought, given how clumsy he could sometimes be. 

As the line cleared up, giving the trio a chance to approach, Ruby hung back a little. “Something wrong?” Pyrrha asked, noticing the absence of the smaller girl’s hand. 

“I, uh, I don’t know if I want to play this.” Ruby mumbled, eyes darting around to the various people who were lingering around. It seemed that a lot of people liked to watch, and that made her stomach tense up as she felt anxiety building up again. “I, um… You guys get started, I’m just gonna… find somewhere to sit, okay?”

“If you’re sure…” Jaune looked a little hesitant, but he seemed to notice the growing discomfort on Ruby’s face, and offered her a warm smile. “There’s a place to get food near the entrance, we’ll meet you there when we’re done here, okay?”

“Okay. Thanks Jaune. I’ll see you two soon?” Ruby gave the best smile she could manage at the time, admittedly barely even a halfhearted one, before disappearing into the crowd, pushing her way past as quick as she could until she made it through, then rushed to the front of the store.

Finding the dining area wasn’t too hard, though it was hardly a cozy looking one. From what Ruby could tell, the four tables provided had been haphazardly placed without much thought for convenience, given how cramped it looked. Ordering a drink to replace her now finished hot cocoa, Ruby sat near the edge of the small eating area, watching the people mingling throughout the arcade from a comfortable distance.

Sipping lazily from her soda, a loud ruckus drew Ruby's attention: the clattering of metal and a somewhat familiar grunt that left the girl frowning. Looking towards the claw machine, she found possibly the people she wanted to see least today, Team CRDL. Interestingly enough, they didn't look entirely pleased, either, and though she couldn't hear their bickering, it was clear from a distance that the members of the team were scolding Cardin for something.

Darn, curiosity was getting the better of her today, Ruby placing her cup down as she made her way over to the group cautiously. From what she could gather by the cracked glass and dent in the machine, someone - most likely Cardin, given the context - had broken the claw machine with a rather nasty punch. 

Unfortunately, just as curiosity killed the cat, it had, well, not killed the Ruby, but certainly inconvenienced her. Just as she was about to return to her seat, Cardin turned around, still nursing the knuckles that had likely broken the machine, and made brief eye contact with her. Darn it, he had spotted her, there was no way Ruby could pretend he hadn't after they'd made eye contact, and now he was walking her direction.

Surprisingly, at least in Ruby's opinion, he was lacking his usual smirk, or an angered look at having been caught in such a silly situation. Instead, the large boy had what Ruby could only describe has a mix of shame, embarrassment, and maybe a hint of frustration. Feeling a familiar tingle in her arms and legs as she had last weekend during their encounter, Ruby was at least confident she could get away from him if he was acting weird again.

Standing in front of her, a good five feet of distance between them, Cardin jolted his head down in an awkward bow. "Sorry." He blurted out, the words clearly somewhat foreign to his mouth. 

Huh? Cardin was actually apologizing? Without being weird about it? 

"I'm sorry," he repeated, lifting his head and looking awkwardly to the right as he spoke. "For being such an asshole." She decided against commenting on his language, given he was making his best attempt at a sincere apology. "For bullying you and Jaune and everyone else, really. I want to… move past that."

"What he means," Russel spoke up, having approached from behind Cardin. "Is that Professor Goodwitch made it clear he has to clean up his act or he'll be the biggest humiliation to his family name since his father attended Beacon."

Russel was still sporting his combat attire, unlike the rest if his team, save his pauldron, and wearing a "Thrush Rush" apron. Oh, huh, that was probably obvious in hindsight. Looking to Cardin before the larger boy could protest, Russel knocked the back of his head, glaring. "And when I said I had to go fix something for my dad and you guys could come along, I thought it was obvious you weren't supposed to break anything.

"Right." Cardin mumbled, returning the glare to his teammate, who seemed entirely unphased by it. Looking back towards Ruby, she noticed his cheeks were colored, probably from embarrassment at being called out by his partner, if she was to guess. "Anyways, all I'm trying to say is that I messed up… I messed up a long time ago." Cardin offered a hand to shake, looking surprisingly timid given his usual attitude. "I just wondering if we can start again, you know, as friends?"

"No." Ruby didn't even need a moment to consider it, not caring as the older boy's expression fell, along with his hand. "Cardin, you made my life at Signal miserable. You harassed Yang because she wouldn't date you, spread rumors about her and made her feel awful. You bullied Jaune, and me, and probably every Faunus like Velvet who felt it was easier to tolerate your nonsense than it was to fight back. You've been a bad person for the entire time I've known you, and there's no way you can erase that in a simple apology."

"If you want to improve, that's good, but it takes a lot more effort than simple words." Ruby explained sternly, silver-eyes in a piercing glare as she looked at the older boy. "I don't know if we can ever be friends, I don't even want to think about that right now, but if you even want the _chance_ of making a better impression with people at Beacon, you need to start showing some actual improvement. And apologize to Jaune and Velvet, too! And anyone else you were harassing!"

Before the older boy could get a word in edgewise, Ruby kicked off with her right foot, turning around and walking back to her table as confidently as possible. Truth was, she actually hated having to be so severe to anyone, but she knew that Cardin definitely didn't deserve easy forgiveness for all the trouble and stress he'd put people through. Maybe he really was interested in changing his ways, but it wasn't Ruby's responsibility to advocate that or accept any attempt at mending things he made. 

Sighing, she took her seat, returning to her drink as she waited on Jaune and Pyrrha to finish up. Silver eyes brightened as she spotted the duo slipping through the crowd, a smiles on their faces, along with a healthy sheen of sweat. It seemed that their little dance off had been a bit more intense than Ruby had expected.

"Hey you two!" Ruby chirped, waving cheerfully to her boyfriend and girlfriend. "All done dancing?"

"Hey, you really missed out." Jaune chuckled, looking to Pyrrha with a light blush on his cheeks.

"You should try it sometime, Ruby." Pyrrha suggested, sharing the look with Jaune before turning her gaze towards their girlfriend. "It was much more fun than I'd expected."

"Oh, uh. Maybe somewhere else. It was a little too crowded today." Ruby nervously chuckled, blushing at the supportive smile Pyrrha was giving her. "Besides, dancing isn't really my thing!"

"Really?" Jaune asked, offering a hand to help her stand, which she was happy to take, even though it wasn't really necessary. "I would've figured with how you fight with Crescent Rose, dancing is something you'd really like."

"What, why?" Ruby asked sheepishly, her cheeks still a light pink as she looked at Jaune, who returned the look sheepishly.

"Well… it's just that, when you fight with Crescent Rose, it reminds me a lot of dancing." The blonde admitted, scratching at the back of his neck nervously as his cheeks became a bright red. "It's, uh… it's really beautiful."

"It is?" Ruby squeaked, shoulders tensing as embarrassment filled her head. 

"It is." Pyrrha confirmed, placing her hand on the shorter girl's shoulder and squeezing affectionately. "I am known in Mistral for my graceful fighting, but if you had been a tournament fighter back home, I am certain they'd sing to how beautiful and solemn a dance your fighting is."

"Oh!" Ruby's eyes were wide, face a color matching her cloak. "Th-thank you!"

"There's no need to thank me for the truth, Ruby." Pyrrha insisted, smiling brightly at the younger teen. "Now come on, do you have anything else you'd like to do here? Jaune and I will stick by you the whole time."

"Yeah, sure!" Ruby chirped cheerfully, still blushing as she gave her girlfriend a wide grin. She didn't feel like talking about her little run in with Cardin right now, but maybe she could later, while they were enjoying themselves. "Let's go!"

* * *

Blake was feeling, in a word, awful. She knew that she was right to turn down Yang's interest, but it didn't make it feel any better. She really liked her partner, but the last time she'd gotten close to someone like that, maybe the circumstances between her and Adam were different than her and Yang, but it didn't make it any less scary.

The Faunus had found a comfortable place in the wooded area dotting the main campus, far enough away from other people to keep alone, while close enough that wasn't at risk of drawing Grimm with her melancholy. Flipping through the pages of the book Ruby had given her, _The Boy Who Fell from the Sky_ , a tired sigh escaped her lips. It wasn't as pleasant as reading one of her "romantic" novels, but given the current situation, she felt sick at the thought of reading one of those.

The concept of the book was at least interesting, that of a boy sucked into a great conflict he had no preparation for after falling to Remnant from the sky, granted a great power by forgotten gods, determined to help people who weren't his own, even if it didn't result in returning to his home. Blake liked it, the idea of being willing to help others without a concern of finding a way back home. With how much she was sure her parents hated her, she was sure she wouldn't be able to find a way back home, either, but that didn't mean she wasn't going to avoid the responsibility she had. 

"Hey, Blake!" Shutting her book as Sun spoke, Blake shut her eyes with a hint of frustration. When she'd heard him approaching, she'd hoped he at least had the wisdom to realize she wasn't really in the mood to deal with anyone's shenanigans, let alone his. Dangling upside down from the tree beside her by his tail, Sun Wukong gave the cat Faunus a wide grin. “How’s it hanging?”

Normally, that would’ve simply elicited a groan from the oft brooding brunette, but today, it reminded her too much of the sort of word play Yang would use. “Go away, Sun.”

“What’s wrong?” The monkey Faunus asked, voice chipper as ever as he swung from the branch he was on to land beside Blake on the ground. “Cat got your tongue?”

“Shut up!” Blake groaned, rolling her eyes. If there was one thing Sun should have picked up on by now, it was that she didn’t really appreciate the animal related jokes. “I’m not in the mood today, Sun.”

“Blake, I don’t know if you’ve ever met you, but you’re almost never in the mood.” The blonde chuckled, taking a seat beside the brunette and flashing her another grin. “That just means you’ve got something boiling inside you need to talk about, and if you can’t talk to your team, I’m always here to lend an ear - even if I only have two!”

“Do you _have_ to joke about that kind of stuff?” Blake scolded, sending the blonde a glare.

“Of course!” Sun grinned in response, giving her shoulder a playful shove. “Back home in Vacuo, we laughed about that kind of stuff like that all the time.”

“Well, we’re not _in_ Vacuo, are we?” The brunette snapped back, frustrated by how laid back her friend was about all this stuff, but a bit glad she had managed to turn the conversation from his earlier inquiry. Sighing, her expression softened slightly. “You talk about Vacuo a lot, I’m surprised you left it.”

“Well,” Sun chuckled, scratching the back of his neck. “Vacuo is nice, but… it’s hard. I lost a lot of family in Vacuo, back when we were still nomads. My cousin and I settled down in the city, but even then it’s not the safest. I just… I hope Starr is safe.”

“Starr?” Blake raised an eyebrow, her ears perking up slightly. That was the first time Sun had actually mentioned a name from his time in Vacuo. 

“Yeah. My cousin, Starr Sanzang.” Sun said fondly, leaning back lazily against the tree with a smile on his face. “After I lost… after our tribe faded to the sands, Starr and I made our way to Vacuo -the city- and then she helped train me at a dojo she took over running.”

“Why’d you leave then?” Blake asked, her curiosity peaked. 

“Well, what can I say? I’m a wandering soul!” Sun insisted, puffing out his chest proudly as he stood up, offering a hand to Blake. “Come on, let’s go for a walk, it’ll be better for you than brooding!”

Blake was a bit skeptical, but relented to the monkey Faunus’ request, accepting his hand to help her stand. “Where exactly are we walking?”

“I don’t know!” Sun announced, grinning wildly. “That’s the best part! It’s all about the journey, not the destination.”

“If you say so.” Well, he clearly did, given the enthusiastic nod he gave. “When was… when was the last time you saw Starr?”

“Starr? Back when I visited Vacuo, on my way here from Mistral.” Sun explained, walking with a pep in his step as the duo casually strode through the woods. “Only visited for a little while, though. Never got a chance to check in on the dojo, I just wanted to say hi before I had to find a boat to Vale.”

“Ah, yeah, a boat to stow away on.” Blake bit, giving him a rather disappointed glare. 

“What? It’s not like they were going to let me onboard anyways.” Sun defended, shrugging his shoulders. “I was a Faunus, they were a human crew. It was easier to avoid the fuss and just hide, it’s not like they even noticed until we got to Vale.”

Blake frowned, but she knew that was true. Despite improvements made after the Faunus Rights Revolution, there were still holdouts, particularly with private groups. That was part of what the White Fang was fighting against, and from what Sun had told her before, they weren’t very active in Vacuo.

“Why didn’t you just come with the rest of your academy to Vale, then?” She asked, trying to at least glean something less negative from the conversation. She didn’t want to think about the White Fang, about the reasons they were still necessary. About how Adam had sullied that in his bloodlust.

“Oh, well, I wanted to see Starr! And I guess just enjoy a bit of the city.” Sun shrugged again. “I can’t say I’d love to live there forever, but Vacuo is nice. Simpler than the other Kingdoms in a lot of ways.”

“You really miss it.” Blake said, sounding a bit sad.

“Yeah, I do.” The blonde nodded, before turning around to look at his friend. “What about you, Blake? Do you miss wherever you’re from?”

Blake’s expression sunk, the cat Faunus looking down, trying not to show the regret in her eyes. “Yes, I do.” She admitted, “I miss it, even as much as it stands as a symbol for our oppression. Menagerie is a beautiful place, and the Faunus living there have done much to claim what we can of the continent.”

“So you’re from Menagerie?” Sun asked, giving her a sheepish grin. “I mean, I kind of assumed, but I wasn’t sure! Why do we call it Menagerie, anyways? Isn’t that name kind of… on the nose?”

“It had a different name, once. Before Mistral invaded and took it, five centuries ago. Before the people were enslaved, their language all but eradicated.” Blake said bitterly, “we’ve tried to reclaim what we can, but after so many hundreds of years, almost all has been forgotten save fairy tales and legends.”

“That’s awful.” Sun lamented, offering his friend a sad smile. “I bet that Menagerie and Vacuo would get along pretty well, y’know? Both of our nations lost a lot of our identity thanks to the other Kingdoms.”

“I admittedly don’t know a lot about Vacuo.” Blake confessed, looking a little embarrassed. “Can you tell me about it?”

“Ah, don’t worry! Most people don’t know about Vacuo.” Sun waved a hand dismissively, grinning. “We keep to ourselves a lot, now, after all the damage Atlas and the SDC has done to our environment. There’s even some sects of people who refuse to use Dust at all!”

“Really? That sounds interesting. Even in Menagerie, we can’t escape the use of Dust, though we do try to avoid using SDC products as much as we can.” 

“Well, most of us don’t eschew it entirely,” Sun continued, beckoning that Blake should follow him, “but since Dust is pretty expensive there, our weapons don’t always rely too heavily on it.”

“I imagine.” Blake replied, complying with his request, picking up her pace a little. Sun smiled a little more confidently, and the duo continued chatting as they journeyed through the woods, Blake grateful to have something to occupy her mind aside from her guilt.

* * *

“Hey Ren?” The Mistralan boy looked up from his classwork, turning to Nora, who had a curious look on her face. “Is that Yang?”

Looking in the direction his partner was, Ren spotted a familiar mess of blonde hair across the library, huddled away in a corner of the building. How Nora had located her, the dark-haired boy couldn’t say, but his partner always had a knack for doing the impossible. 

“So it is.” Ren confirmed, keeping his words brief as he turned his focus back towards the redhead. 

“She looks sad.” Nora noted, pouting, before grabbing Ren’s hands and squeezing tightly. “Ren! We should go talk to Yang, she needs to be cheered up!”

Well, with how she had said it, Ren could tell this wasn’t a request. Smiling slightly, he nodded. “Very well.” 

Following his partner as she dragged him along, the Mistralan boy looked a little concerned at the ruckus they might be causing in the library, though Nora didn’t seem to have any worries about it. Coming to a stop before their blonde friend, Ren had to agree with his partner’s assessment that Yang looked sad. The normally bombastic member of Team RWBY had bags below her eyes that looked foreign, and an uncharacteristic frown painted her face. 

“Hey, Yang!” Nora exclaimed, ignoring the several outbursts of “shh” coming from other students in the otherwise quiet building. 

“Oh, hey, Nora, Ren.” He was admittedly concerned by how defeated the normally confident blonde sounded as she responded to his partner, his lips forming a slight frown. “What’re you two doing here?”

“We were here attending to some of our studies,” Ren explained, his eyes briefly going to Nora and then Yang, before he settled on a more neutral expression. “Nora noticed you were alone, and we thought we’d say hello.”

“Oh, well. Hello.” Yang gruffly replied, before returning her eyes to the book in her hand. On noticing that neither Nora or Ren had departed after her brisk greeting, she frowned, looking up at them. “Did you… need something?”

“What’s wrong?!” Nora blurted out, caring nothing for social tact and getting straight to the point. Noticing that Yang was reticent to answer, the redhead pouted. “You can’t just pretend that nothing is wrong, not when you’re over here alone and look so down.”

“It’s… It’s not a big deal.” Yang insisted, Ren chuckling as Nora leaned in with a suspicious squint, looking directly into the blonde’s nervous violet eyes. “I just… I messed up! I thought that someone felt something about me, and they didn’t.”

“What do you mean?” Ren asked gently, sitting beside Yang and subtly sending his semblance her way. Not enough to muted her emotions entirely, but enough to gently calm her a little.

“I… I thought that she cared about me the way I did about her.” Though Yang was doing her best to remain subtle, Ren thought it was pretty clear she was talking about Blake. He didn’t mention it, of course, he knew better than that. “Have you ever… felt like you really care about someone, but… they’re unwilling to commit, even though you know they feel the same?”

"Sometimes… sometimes even though we want to be ready, we can't be." Ren said slowly, his eyes drifting to Nora briefly, when the redhead wasn't looking. "Maybe they're worried about the future, about the dangers life might bring, for both parties. It can be… easier to shut oneself off, than risk getting hurt."

"But that doesn't… that doesn't make it better." Yang retorted, hands clenched tightly at her sides. Ren saw Nora place a hand over the blonde's in a sympathetic gesture, and did the same with his own.

"It'll be okay, Yang." Nora insisted, offering a supportive smile. "Just because you have to wait for now, doesn't mean you'll always have to. Just work on being friends for now, anything more than that can wait for now. Just… hopefully not too long."

Ren ignored the jab aimed his way, though he hated that such melancholy lingered beneath Nora's surface. "I should finish up my and Nora's work." The Mistralan boy stated calmly, standing up. "I'll come get you when I'm done, Nora."

"Okay!" The redhead exclaimed cheerfully, again eliciting a round of shushing from some of the other students. As Ren returned to his and Nora's work, he heard his partner gleefully chatting on with Yang, offering to show the blonde how to play cards "the Mistralan way." A soft chuckle escaped his lips, a show of weakness he would normally never allow, but Beacon had offered a measure of safety that made him reconsider how he'd viewed much from his time with Nora, as orphans on Anima. 

Maybe it was time to listen to some of the advice he tried to give to others. Maybe he could finally lessen his worries, at least a little.

* * *

Their time at the arcade had been fruitful, the group having amassed a hoard of tickets that went to buying an oversized Beowolf plushie, which was now secure beneath Jaune's free arm. Ruby had been a bit nervous to accept that all three of their efforts go to getting _her_ a stuffed toy, but Pyrrha had been quick to insist it could serve as a substitute for the absence of her partners the girl surely experienced every night. Ruby wasn't exactly sure what that meant, but she did miss the duo when they were apart, so she accepted it. 

"I'm surprised you ran into Cardin here." Jaune said as the three exited the arcade, Ruby placed between him and Pyrrha, holding a hand from each of them. 

"It sounded like Russel was there for some family business," Ruby elaborated, having only given the barest rundown of what had happened. "The rest of CRDL just tagged along. _I_ can't believe Cardin broke the claw machine. It would've been nice to use."

"Breaking one of the machines seems rather what I would expect from him, if I'm honest." Pyrrha replied, chuckling sheepishly. "I'm just surprised he tried to apologize to you. He never seemed the sort."

"Yeah, he really sounded weird trying to say sorry." Ruby nodded, smiling up at Pyrrha. "I didn't accept it of course, not after how badly he behaved to everyone. It was… weird, not accepting an apology, but I knew it was the right decision not to."

"I agree with it wholeheartedly." Pyrrha reassured, smiling at Ruby as her eyes darted to Jaune, who gave an affirmative nod of his head. "Cardin is a bad person, and a worse student. If he wishes to improve himself, I wish him all the luck in the world, but that doesn't make it as though the things he did never happened. He has a lot of atonement to seek before he will be viewed highly by anyone at Beacon."

"Even if he didn't do as much awful stuff as he had, you never have to accept someone's apology, Ruby." Jaune furthered, squeezing her hand affectionately. "An apology being accepted is like… a gift to the person apologizing. It's not always necessarily earned, and it should never be expected that your mistakes are going to be forgiven. It's entirely up to the person wronged whether they accept or not."

"I guess…" The shorter redhead acknowledged hesitantly. "I don't have a lot of experience with people apologizing, outside of dad and Yang, and both of them I know are being genuine every time they apologize."

"It's different when family is involved," Jaune acknowledged, giving his younger girlfriend a reassuring smile. "But even then, sometimes, you don't have to forgive family. Not right away, at least. Even family can do really bad things sometimes."

"Yeah, I know." Ruby agreed solemnly. Even if she couldn't remember much of it, she knew of that period just after her mother's passing, when her father was… absent. "I guess… I guess I hope that Cardin can one day earn some forgiveness, even if right now he doesn't deserve it."

"That's an admirable attitude, Ruby." Pyrrha said gently, "only time will tell if he deserves it or not, we'll have to see."

"You're right," Ruby nodded, before putting on her best smile as she broke free from the duo, spinning around to give them a wide grin. "Now come on, let's get going! If we're too late, we'll miss out on dinner!"

With that announcement, the trio picked up their pace, talking and laughing all the way to the airship, and even more once they were on board, Jaune's motion sickness granting them a reprieve this evening as they rode back to Beacon. 

Evening soon turned to night, and Ruby reluctantly departed from Jaune and Pyrrha, soon finding herself laying in bed beside the oversized plushie. Grabbing it and hugging tight, she imagined hugging her boyfriend and girlfriend, and smiled slightly. Maybe Pyrrha did know what she was talking about. As her breathing calmed and sleep overtook her, all Ruby could think was that today had been wonderful.


	25. Lazy Sunday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After such a busy day on Saturday, Ruby's feeling like a day to just relax.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back! On! Pace!
> 
> This was an interesting chapter to write. It's not super plot heavy, but the set up was really important. I hope you'll like it!

Waking up with a tired yawn, a smile graced Ruby’s lips as she laid back against her bed. Last night had been nice, one free from nightmares as she clung to her new bedmate, the oversized plush still held tight to her chest as a relaxed sigh left her lips. 

She had worked hard to make sure her classwork was all done by the end of Friday, so this Sunday was going to be nice and easy. Without any school stuff to focus on, she could just spend the day relaxing with Jaune and Pyrrha. Sure, they’d gone on a date just a day before, but that was different than just hanging out. 

Although she was a little reluctant to leave the comfort of her bed, Ruby dropped out of the canopy with a light “thud” to the ground. Stretching her arms above her head with another yawn, Ruby rubbed some of the sleepiness from her eyes before looking over to the clock. It was about a quarter past seven, a bit late for her, but not in a really bad way. It was nice getting up late after a couple weeks of frequent nightmares. 

Getting ready for her day didn't take too long, and after about ten minutes, she left Team RWBY's dorm room and made her way to the floor's shared kitchen, yawning all the while. It didn’t look like Ren was here, whether that was because she’d missed him or he was running late as well, she wasn’t entirely sure. 

It didn’t really matter, as she made her way over to the refrigerator, slowly taking out the carton of milk and pouring herself a glass. Making sure no one was around to see, Ruby retrieved her “secret” cookie stash, deciding to enjoy a treat for breakfast. 

Sitting down on one of the couches in the lounging area, Ruby gave a content sigh as she started munching on the cookies. At the sound of footsteps approaching, the short redhead perked up a bit, looking back to find Pyrrha, who hadn’t spotted her from her place in the lounge.

Pyrrha looked… stressed. That wasn’t right! They’d had such a nice day yesterday, there’s no way that Pyrrha should be feeling so down. Jaune approached from behind, not looking much better, his arms wrapping around Pyrrha and giving her a sympathetic hug. Had something happened last night, after Ruby had split from the duo? 

“I just don’t understand why they’re making such a big deal about this.” She overheard Jaune say, the blonde sounding exasperated. 

“That’s what they always do, Jaune.” Pyrrha sounded far more resigned than their boyfriend did, “I’ve seen it happen before, to others that Mistral had elevated above its people. Every action is scrutinized, treated as though it should be known by anyone who wishes to see it.”

“That’s not right.” Jaune insisted, Ruby scooting a little closer where she was seated, trying to hear what they were saying better. “I-I know that it can be rough for celebrities, but she’s not even a celebrity, why are they dragging her into their speculation?” 

“Because they just want the  _ drama _ of it all.” Pyrrha lamented, eyes downcast despite Jaune’s attempt to reassure her with a smile. “It isn’t enough that I’m dating people from outside the Kingdom, they have to try and speculate how you both might be such wicked people to have stolen my loyalty to Mistral. Even vultures have more decorum than they do.”

Ruby frowned, placing her bag of cookies down gently, slowly slipping out of the couch and approaching her partners, being as quiet as she could to avoid interrupting. Whatever had happened, it was stressing Pyrrha out a lot, and it looked as though it wasn’t making Jaune feel all too well, either.

“That doesn’t make it right.” Jaune repeated, bringing Pyrrha into another hug, gently massaging her back to try comforting her. “You’re a person, all of us are. You’re not some source of entertainment.” 

Ruby’s frown grew as she started to get an idea of what this might be about. Pyrrha had talked before about how awful being a celebrity could be, and she’d seen it in action by the way some of her fans would approach them and make rather unfair demands of her. Autographs might be annoying, but they were nothing compared to weird older men asking for photos with her. 

“I’m used to it, Jaune, I have been for years.” Pyrrha said softly, sounded defeated. “I just don’t want either of you brought into it. I should have thought of that before risking a relationship with you.”

“Don’t say that.” Jaune sternly replied, shaking his head slowly. “I don’t care what any of those jerks in Mistral think, and I doubt Ruby cares, either. You’re way more important than that, Pyrrha.”

On hearing Pyrrha’s doubts, Ruby dashed out from her hiding place, tightly hugging the duo, eliciting a startled grunt of surprise from her boyfriend and girlfriend. “Those people are just big jerks!” She affirmed, refusing to let the pair out of her embrace for several seconds, eyes clung shut as she held them. “I-I don’t care what anyone says, I really like you both, and I’m not going to stop liking you!”

As Ruby opened her eyes, looking up at the duo sheepishly as she let them out of the hug, Pyrrha chuckled softly, running a hand through the shorter girl’s hair. “I’m glad you feel that way, Ruby.” The champion said softly, the younger redhead noticing for the first time that her girlfriend’s eyes were red from crying. “I must admit… I was afraid. I didn’t want to go back to being alone.”

“You won’t have to.” Jaune insisted confidently, shooting Ruby a smile as he brought the redheads in to a gentler hug. “We’re with you.”

“Thank you,” Pyrrha gave a bright smile, blinking some of the dampness from her eyes. “Both of you.”

Ruby decided to take the initiative, grabbing Jaune and Pyrrha’s hands, leading them to the lounge so they could sit. With Pyrrha between her and Jaune, the shorter girl hoped they could provide a little more comfort to her girlfriend. 

“So, um,” Jaune’s eyes met Ruby’s as he wrapped an arm around their girlfriend, hugging the taller girl again as they sat. “How much did you hear, Ruby?”

“Um… not much.” She admitted, chuckling nervously as she rested her head against Pyrrha’s shoulder, shooting her girlfriend a sheepish smile. “I just… I figure this was about the people in Mistral, the ones who Pyrrha talked about yesterday.”

“You’re not wrong.” Pyrrha confirmed, sounding rather tired of it all. Showing her scroll to Ruby, the taller girl sighed. “My… agent sent me these, about an hour ago.”

A short gasp escaped Ruby’s lips as she looked at the image, a cover of a magazine with a poorly taken picture of her, Pyrrha, and Jaune at  _ Alkyone’s Hearth _ , with the words “Mistral’s Champion Wooed by Valean Temptress.” She didn’t need to look further to get what they were implying, shaking her head at Pyrrha when the taller girl asked if she wanted to see more. 

“Th-they think I tricked you?” Ruby inquired, Pyrrha looking a little relieved that  _ that _ was the takeaway the younger girl had made from that. “But I would never do that!”

“I know, Ruby.” Pyrrha said gently, bringing an arm around Ruby to gently rub her far shoulder. “They simply choose to see the worst of you, because they know it would appeal more to those desperate for gossip about me. I’ve managed to keep a fairly clean record, as far as the press back in Mistral is concerned, so they’re trying to make a controversy out of the first thing they could see.”

“Is… Is it going to actually do anything?” Ruby asked nervously, feeling a bit of a lump in her throat at the thought that she might do Pyrrha some harm. 

“I might lose a few of the more… nationalistic sponsers my agent has found for me, but I don’t know that I would consider that a loss.” Pyrrha explained, doing her best to ease things for her girlfriend. “My main sponsors won’t really care, not about this. It’s not as though I’ve lost a fight, that’s all they’re really concerned about. So long as I remain “the Invincible Girl,” they don’t care who I choose to kiss.”

“So… It’ll be okay?” Ruby nestled her head against Pyrrha’s arm, looking a bit timid. 

“It should be, at least, from a pragmatic standpoint.” The Argussean reassured her, though she didn’t sound particularly happy with it. “That said… we may get some strange looks from other students from Mistral. Hopefully nothing more serious than that.” 

“Well,” Jaune chuckled nervously, looking at his girlfriends. “We haven’t exactly been really secretive. At least this way we can be more open about it?”

“That’s certainly true.” Pyrrha giggled slightly. “I’m not sure it’s possible to be more open about it than we already have been. I suppose there’s just been an air of privacy at the academy the rest of Vale sadly lacks.”

“Do, um… Do you think we could hang out today?” Ruby asked sheepishly, her cheeks warming a little. “If it’s not going to make things worse, I just… I really like spending time with you guys.”

“Of course, Ruby.” Pyrrha reassured, hugging the shorter girl a little closer. “So long as you want me here, I’ll be here.”

“Of course I do, Pyrrha!” Ruby chirped, smiling at her girlfriend. “You and Jaune! I’ll always want you two with me.”

“Okay, you two.” Jaune laughed, smiling at the duo. “Let’s get something to eat, then, before you two start going in circles.”

The two girls chuckled sheepishly, their cheeks coloring as the trio got off the couch and started their day.

* * *

As August stepped onto Beacon's campus, he was not surprised by the startled stares some of the students gave him. It was not everyday that one of Vale's Council sojourned to the academy, though given recent events, he pondered perhaps changing that. Ozpin had been particularly obstructive of late, especially when it came to his niece, and reminding the old man that he was not the sole power of the Kingdom of Vale would be nice.

Ignoring the sheepish expressions of Valean students who happened to recognize him, typically those raised in the upper-class and remaining aristocracy, August strode into the Cross-Continental Transmit Tower. He was unexpected, but not unannounced, having informed Ozpin about an hour beforehand that he wished to discuss current events more personally. Stepping into the elevator available, the door was nearly shut when a white-gloved hand blocked it.

"Excuse me!" Silver eyes rolled behind dark glasses as the ever determined General Ironwood stepped into the elevator, an apologetic look on his face that changed to one of surprise. "August! What a pleasure to see you again, it's been far too long. Why, we haven't seen each other since-"

"My sister's funeral?" August sneered, his words dry and leaving no room for leeway.

"Ah, yes… I suppose it was that long ago." James said softly, whatever levity had been in his voice draining away. "I'm truly sorry I couldn't do more in the search for Summer. She was a hero, and her family deserved more than the remains of her weapon."

"Yes, well, it was hardly as though she was following  _ your _ orders, James." August dismissed the man's apology, the doors to the elevator sliding shut entirely this time. "Holltwr Arain is back in its home at Caer Rhosyn, until such a time it is claimed by her daughter."

"Ah, yes, the young Miss Rose." James' voice raised a little, not exactly with what August could call pride, but perhaps admiration. "She's already making waves, it seems."

"Ah, yes, the mess with one of your missing toys, if I recall correctly." He did, but he relished at the chance of calling James out like that. August held back against the temptation to smirk, keeping his expression neutral as he continued. "The Council is rather worried about your missing equipment, James. I do hope you'll retrieve it soon. I'd hate for you to out stay your welcome."

"I'm sure it won't come to that, August." James reassured the Councilman. "I've already got two of my top specialists on it, and Ozpin has been happy to acquiesce to my requests regarding the investigation. The rest of those Paladins will be found, before the festival."

"I'm glad to hear it." August replied curtly, not really certain how true that would be. Still, despite James' rather severe blunder at losing his Paladins to the White Fang, the Councilman thought he might be able to salvage this. If more power is ceded away from Ozpin and his Huntsman, even if temporarily, to Atlas's, it would further his own push towards reinstating Vale's own military. 

The elevator gave a pleasant chime as they reached the top floor, August stepping out first, not even looking to see that James was offering, though of course the general did. "Headmaster. It's been far too long." August greeted Professor Ozpin, putting on an air of affability both men knew was false. "I hope everything has been going pleasantly, aside from the occasional mishap."

"Of course, Councilman." A title for a title, then? Well, August could work with that, it was certainly better than pretending he was friends with the man. "Things are on track for a successful Vytal Festival, with Roman Torchwick detained and General Ironwood on the lookout for the rest of his associates."

"I'm glad to hear that," August bowed his head politely, keeping a proper neutral expression. "The Kingdom of Vale would not do well to have such strife, especially at a time of celebration such as this."

"On that, I believe we both agree." Ozpin nodded, taking a sip from his damned mug. August held back the urge to sneer, as the headmaster of Beacon Academy continued. "Still, I don't believe you've come all this way just to catch up, have you, Councilman? What issue do you have that needs addressing?"

“Given… recent developments,” August began, gloved hand clenching tightly at his side as he thought back to the slanderous articles he’d been shown this morning. “I wish to make sure that the press are not allowed on Beacon Academy.”

“Of course not.” Ozpin replied calmly, not acknowledging the Councilman’s frustration, though his eyes did drift over to his clenched hand for the briefest moment. “Students are not required to meet with any members of the media, and members of the press are not allowed on campus outside irregular exceptions, such as during the Vytal Festival.”

“Good.” August replied curtly, before his eyes turned towards James. “I assume you wished me to speak with the good general, given his presence? I know  _ I _ didn’t request he join me.”

“Yes, I thought it appropriate that James update you on his operations, given that he has taken a lead on investigating the White Fang’s current actions in Vale.” Ozpin explained, taking another sip of cocoa from his mug.

Great. Ozpin had taken it upon himself to alter August’s intended meeting into something not focused on the headmaster. Not entirely surprising, but frustrating for the councilman, nonetheless. “Yes,” August agreed, keeping his neutral expression. “I suppose a more… in person update from the general would be welcome.”

James stood a little straighter at his place beside Ozpin’s desk, standing at ease with hands behind his back. “I can give you an overview, or go into more detail, whatever you’d like.”

“An overview would be good,” August acknowledged, though he was certain such a thing could simply be sent to the Kingdom’s Council. Taking a seat, silver eyes rolled out of view of his associates, and he prepared for a much longer afternoon than he’d intended.

* * *

Prison sucked. Waiting? That sucked even more.

Roman groaned as he rested against the wall of his cell, facing the sealed door as he waited for time to pass. Neo had said that Taurus was planning on breaking him out, but he knew it would take at least a couple weeks to coordinate. Probably longer than that. Even with a menace like Bully Boy, there was no way they could just waltz into one of the most secure prisons in Vale and just stroll out with a couple dozen White Fang prisoners and one of the (formerly) most wanted men in the Kingdom.

The worst part of things was the lack of something to smoke. He’d probably have been able to jimmy some cigarettes off another prisoner, but they’d kept him locked up alone and didn’t let him out. He knew that that kind of stuff wasn’t common, at least, not for humans, but it seemed that he’d left August a little more peeved than he’d realized. 

Passing the time was difficult. He could only manage to exercise so much in a single day before it got to be a bit too grating. At least he could say he’d improved his core with all his free time, not that anyone would notice. Hearing faint footsteps approaching his cell, the criminal stood up, groaning a bit as he nursed his back, a few bruises remaining from August’s latest attempts at persuasion. 

Stepping slowly over to the slit in the door, he pressed his face against the metal to try getting a peek of who was outside. The diminutive guard standing before him smirked slightly, eyes flickering to pink and brown. Oh, good. It was Neo, not someone coming for more “persuasion.”

“Hey, Neo.” He grunted, forcing a smile for his daughter. “Come with some news?”

She rolled her eyes, and Roman slid down against the door, resting his back against the cold metal as she began to relay her message.  _ Getting you out might be delayed. _

“Oh, and why’s that?” The premier criminal grunted. “Bully Boy reconsidering getting me out?”

_ No _ . Neo dismissed, giving a silent sigh before continuing.  _ He’s unhinged. I followed along today, to see what he was getting up to. He was harassing some Faunus restaurant because of a picture that showed up in some tabloids. _

“Why would he do that?” Roman raised a brow, sitting up a little. That didn’t sound like Bully Boy, who despite being unquestionably missing a few screws, seemed to be pretty adamant about the whole “Faunus supremacy” thing. “Serve a few too many humans?”

_ No. Well, not exactly. _ Neo tapped, pursing her lips as she tried to figure out how to word it correctly.  _ It wasn’t that they were just serving humans, but rather who one of them was. _

“Serving someone he didn’t like? I know that the Schnee Heiress is here, now.”

_ Not her, but you’re on the right track. _ Neo smirked a little.  _ Seems like you’re not the only one with a beef against Little Red. He didn’t sound like he wanted to take her out, though. He was asking a lot of questions, about  _ who _ she was. You’ll never guess what Little Red’s name is. _

“Her name?” Why would that matter? Either way he was going to ring his hands around her neck. 

_ Ruby  _ Rose _.  _

“Wait… you don’t mean?” Roman paled a little. That certainly explained why he’d been receiving such rough treatment. “Did that slimeball actually spawn a daughter like he wanted?”

_ No. _ Neo quickly reassured.  _ I looked into it after. She’s the daughter of famed Huntress Summer Rose. She’s his niece. _

“Ah, so still family, but not from his uh… you get the idea.” Neo rolled her eyes again, tapping impatiently. “So what does Bully Boy care? Happy to have a cousin?”

_ I didn’t tell him. _ Neo bluntly replied.  _ He’s already obsessed with that cat Faunus. No need making things worse. _

“Ha, fair enough, kid.” Roman agreed with a sigh. “Anything else I need to know?”

_ Things are getting underway in the Southeast. That’s probably where Cinder will send you once we get you out. _

“Ah, Mountain Glenn…” Roman chuckled. “Such a lovely place this time of year. Okay, Neo. You get out of here, before someone gets suspicious. I’ll see you soon.”

_ Hopefully not too much longer. _ Neo agreed,  _ love you, dad. _

Roman nodded slowly, making his way back to the other end of his cell. There wasn’t all that much she was able to reveal, but what she had given him left him with a lot to think about. In all honesty, if Bully Boy was interested in Little Red, getting his hands on her first might be a mercy. Then again, after all the trouble she’d put him through, maybe letting him get to her would be nice. Easier than getting August on his tail again, at least.

* * *

Mercury yawned, flipping through the pages of a magazine he'd grabbed while he lay in bed, lazily looking up towards Emerald as she entered the dorm. Neo wasn't there, but that was hardly surprising, she was never on campus unless absolutely necessary. 

"Sup?" The grey-haired boy asked, not bothering to sit up as he flipped through another page. 

"Cinder said she needed to speak with us." Emerald snapped, glaring at her comrade. "Don't you ever check your scroll?"

"Nah." He replied with a slight smirk. He loved to rile her up by acting so dismissively, it never failed to get a rise out of her.  _ Especially  _ if Cinder was involved. "Is she on her way?"

"Of course!" Emerald insisted, scowling at the boy before turning her attention to the mirror, trying to touch up her hair. "When she gets here she'll be impressed with my dedication, and disappointed by how lazy you are."

"Yeah, sure." Mercury said dismissively, frowning slightly. Sure, he might not like Emerald, and he loved getting a rise out of her, but he absolutely hated how obsessed she was with Cinder. He couldn't tell if she viewed the older woman more as an object of desire, or a mother figure. Either way, it was gross, and something easily exploitable. "You really think  _ mommy _ is going to be proud of all your hard work gathering gossip from a bunch of teenagers?"

Emerald's cheeks flushed with embarrassment, and she threw one of the now empty wallets she'd lifted off of students at the academy at her partner. "Shut up!" She snapped, "Cinder wouldn't send me on a time waster like that! It's not like you're doing anything to help out, lifting money off some kids who can't fight back, especially when we're supposed to be keeping a low profile!"

"Hey!" Mercury sat up at this, glaring at Emerald. "I'm just playing the part of a "troubled student that Professor Lionheart sees potential in." Besides, those idiots deserved it if they're going to come to one of these academies and not be able to defend themselves."

"Whatever, idiot." Emerald rolled her eyes, walking over to her bed and taking a seat. The duo remained in begrudging silence until the door to the dorm opened once more, Cinder walking in with that air of prideful arrogance she always had. "Cinder! I gathered s-"

"Silence." The partial-Fall Maiden instructed, the thief's mouth clamping shut abruptly, red eyes lowering to the floor ik shame. "Emerald, Mercury. You're doing well laying low, and I have new instructions for you."

At the mention of new orders, Mercury perked up a little, while Emerald remained looking sullenly towards the ground. 

"You are to ingratiate yourselves with Team RWBY." The brunette woman explained, "while I do not foresee any issues with them, it is better that we remain on good terms with them, given the likelihood that they will be participating in the tournament. Do you understand?"

"Yes ma'am." Emerald nodded, despite still facing the ground, until Cinder pulled her upwards, a hand beneath her chin.

"Emerald, is something wrong?" Though Cinder spoke sweetly, Mercury could sense the venom in her voice. It was way too much like when his father would compliment him, when he was younger, before the drinking got even worse, and his father lost any sense of charisma with his abuse.

"That would be my fault." The grey-haired assassin interrupted, ignoring the disdainful look Cinder sent his way. "I was… teasing Emerald just before you got back. Nothing is wrong."

"Is that so." Mercury did his best not to shrink under the glare his employer was giving him, before amber eyes turned back on Emerald, a faux-sympathetic smile on Cinder's lips. "Emerald, is that right?"

"Y-yes ma'am." Emerald sputtered out, a bead of sweat running down the back of her neck."

"Good." Cinder said, her voice still sickly-sweet. "We have a lot of hard work to do before the festival, I'd hate to see either of you fail."


	26. Another Early Morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been a couple weeks, and the first day of training with the Atlesian Specialists has arrived. Ruby wakes up early again, but at least it's not because of a nightmare this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait! I needed a little mental health break, even if it wasn't planned. I'm doing a lot better now, though!
> 
> As always, please comment if you can! Every comment really helps boost my mood, especially when I've got those nasty negative brainworms telling me that this fic is bad. Every bit of feedback, every review, every lighthearted comment, they all help a ton and I'm so grateful for them.

Two weeks had passed like the blink of an eye, things relatively calm around campus for the remainder of Teams RWBY and JNPR's break from anything to do with the investigations. They hadn't been perfect, of course, not with the way some students would gawk at Ruby, whether she was with Pyrrha and Jaune or not, but overall things were relatively low stress. Ruby had still had a few nightmares, but nights with the oversized Beowulf plush, now affectionately named "Loopy," had helped a little.

Today, the young leader of Team RWBY found herself awake early once more, not out of anxiety or fear, but instead of nervous giddiness. Today was the first day Weiss' sister would be training them, if they wanted! Weiss was definitely going, which meant Ruby was definitely going as well. There was no way she'd let her partner go and get all stressed out on her own.

It was around six in the morning when Ruby left her dorm room, dressed in a combat attire, given how well it doubled as casual garb as well. She felt restless, deciding against going to immediately eat and instead going for a small walk around the campus. It felt like even after five months, she was still finding new places whenever she took a walk; whether it was just another faded landmark, or just a cute little wildflower, it was always fun to see!

The young redhead hummed to herself as she casually strolled around the campus, a familiar tune that only Yang would really recognize, given that it was the same her sister had sung to her when she was younger. According to her sister, it was originally something from their mother, a soft song sung whenever she would go out on missions, all save her last. There was something a little bittersweet, knowing that the one time she didn't sing it, she didn't manage to find her way home, but that was why Ruby held it so close to her heart, now. No matter what, she wouldn't forget that she always wanted to come home, as much as she wanted to protect people as well. 

She came to a stop near the statue at Beacon's main courtyard, the same statue every applicant passed on their way to the academy for the first time, after getting off the airships that brought them. A plaque was there, but it had faded in time, and for some reason Ruby couldn't imagine, the headmaster hadn't gotten it replaced with a new one. Squinting, she leaned down, trying to make out any of the letters, but all she managed was a  _ C _ at the start of the first name, presumably tied to the man holding aloft the arming sword. 

"Caius," Ruby jumped up, a startled squeak escaping her lips as Professor Ozpin spoke. "He was a friend of the last king of Vale, who founded the academies after the Great War. Well, perhaps friend was a strong word, they were also rivals, of a sort, but after the war, they were on good enough terms that he was immortalized here."

"Oh," Ruby furrowed her brow, finding the name vaguely familiar, before squeaking sheepishly and turning to the headmaster. "Um, good morning, sir!"

"Good morning, Miss Rose." Professor Ozpin chuckled, offering the nervous teen a gentle smile, before taking a sip of cocoa from his mug. "I'm surprised to see a student out quite so early, especially on a Saturday."

"Well, it's the first day of training with Winter and Cedar, and I guess I'm just a bit anxious to start." Ruby admitted, the headmaster giving an understanding nod. The young redhead turned back to the statue, looking towards the hooded woman with the axe. "Who was she?"

"That is a question with a somewhat more complicated answer." The white-haired man chuckled, taking another sip from his mug before continuing. "It represents two women, actually. The last living queen of Vale, Gwendolyn Rhosyn, and her daughter, Aurora, who took up her axe when her mother was slain."

"Oh, that's unfortunate." Ruby stated plainly, though her voice carried a melancholy the professor was very familiar with. The names felt familiar to her, just like Caius', but she couldn't figure out why. "Did Aurora ever have children?"

"Yes, but it was very late into her life." Professor Ozpin confirmed, though he was undeniably being a little vague. Ruby figured that was fine, she didn't really want to press into the identities of these people, not after how she'd seen the sort of pushing into Pyrrha's life tabloids were doing. "A son, and then five years later, a daughter."

"It's good to hear she had a family, even if it did take her a while." Ruby said, smiling at the headmaster, who gave a slight nod in agreement. 

"Yes." His voice caught Ruby off guard, a subtle sorrow to his tone she almost missed. "Zoroaster would've been heartbroken had his last child been the last of the line he married into. Especially given his wife's reluctance in being married to him in the first place."

Oh, that didn't sound very pleasant. Ruby was a bit surprised that the headmaster had such an intimate knowledge of the last king of Vale, but she supposed it made sense, given he was headmaster of Beacon, a role the king had taken after the Great War ended and the Council was established in Vale, similar ones forming in Mistral and Mantle.

"Why was she reluctant to be married to him in the first place?" The redhead asked nervously, fiddling with the edge of her skirt.

"They were never in love, not truly." Ozpin said sadly, looking up to the statue with somber eyes. "Her father had died, and he was the most suitable noble for her to marry before taking up the role of queen. Unfortunately, her heart belonged to a simple farm boy." Almond eyes drifted from the statue of the last queen and her daughter, placing on the man with sword held high. "Despite his status, he joined the military, and through the determination of a hero, fought his way to becoming a knight, and eventually, one of Vale's greatest heroes during the Great War."

"But she died." Ruby's eyes widened slightly as the realization spilled from her mouth. "He never got a chance to be with her, even after the monarchy lost its power, because she was already gone."

"Yes," Ozpin confirmed, his gaze drifting towards the young team leader. "Their love was tragic, but despite it all, Caius never blamed the king of Vale. The two respected each other, and shared in their grief for the late queen. It was that respect which convinced the king to grant Caius great wealth and opportunities assisting rebuilding some of the cities torn apart by the Great War."

"I'm glad they didn't hate each other," Ruby said softly, "I guess it's… foolish, to hope that they'd get a fairytale ending, but…" The silver-eyed girl looked to the professor, offering a gentle smile. "At least they're together now, right? In whatever awaits."

"Yes," Professor Ozpin agreed, sounding so positively certain that it made Ruby feel a little better. "They are."

* * *

It was around 6:40am by the time she got back to her room, her mind still trying to figure out why Ozpin's tale about the last king of Vale sounded familiar. The weirdest part was probably that her middle name was the name of the king's daughter. Was she named after her? The redhead's brow furrowed as she tried to figure that one out, her attention so focused that she never heard the door across the hall open. 

"Ruby?" The younger team jumped in surprise, turning around to find a rather perplexed Nora. "What're you doing up so early? Well, I guess it's not  _ that _ early, but I didn't think I'd see you out of your room this early."

"Oh, I was feeling kind of… antsy." Ruby explained, giving the shorter redhead an awkward smile. "My mind's been on the upcoming training all week, so I'm a little giddy, I guess."

“Yeah! That’ll be fun, huh?” Nora asked, giving the sheepish younger girl a reassuring grin as she cracked her knuckles. “I can’t wait to see what we can learn to bring to those White Fang jerks!”

“Yeah,” Ruby wasn’t as enthusiastic about that point. In all honesty, she’d love if they never had to fight the White Fang again, even if she knew it was probably inevitable. Most people in the White Fang thought they were doing the right thing, it was this Adam person Blake had talked about who had tainted the message of the organization. “How are you this morning, Nora?”

“I’m doing pretty good!” Nora replied cheerfully, though her gaze narrowed on Ruby’s somewhat slightly tense expression, the shorter girl leaning in a little with suspicion. “What about you, Ruby? You’re looking a little tense.”

“Um, well…” Darn, why was Nora so good at spotting that kind of stuff? Ruby tried to give a reassuring smile, but she could tell that the shorter girl wasn’t buying it. “I just… As excited as I am to train with Weiss’ sister and Mister Cedar, I don’t really… I don’t want to hurt people in the White Fang. Most of them are just desperate people trying to make their lives better.”

“Yeah, I can understand that.” Nora’s tone was briefly solemn, before her face lit up again, and she took Ruby’s hands into her own with a grin. “Let’s not worry about that right now, okay? There’s so much more we can do than think of that!”

“Oh!” Ruby could barely react as Nora dragged her along, a startled squawk escaping the younger girls lips as they tore through the hall towards the kitchen. “Nora, what’re we doing?”

“Well, um, I figure that we could let Ren rest today!” The energetic redhead explained, eyes wide as she started to get supplies out. “As much as I love my rencakes, you know how to make them, too, and he’s still asleep, the lazy butt.” 

“Sure!” Ruby chirped, offering the frantically moving teen a sheepish smile. “But I’ll expect help from you!”

“No problem!” Nora agreed with an eager salute, grinning widely. With that, the duo started on their work, tirelessly running around the kitchen as they prepared a surprise meal for both of the teams. More than once, Ruby had to stop her friend from gulping all the syrup. As they worked, they continued to chat.

“So, um, Nora!” Ruby squeaked out, yanking the syrup away from her friend. “How did you and Ren meet?”

“Um…” Nora was surprisingly passive at the question, though her voice warmed with an unexpected fondness. “I was… lost, for a long time, and Ren found me. Things happened, and we started to wander Anima together. We’ve been with each other for almost ten years, now.”

“That’s incredible.” Ruby said, clearly awed. “I’m glad you two got to remain partners, I can’t imagine trying to forge that kind of relationship with someone else after all that time.”

“Yeah,” Nora nodded, offering Ruby a smile as the younger girl put more batter on the frying pan. “How are things going with you and Weiss?”

“They’re doing pretty good!” Ruby announced cheerfully, “she still makes sure I do my homework for Dust Science, but she’s been a lot less strict with me. She’s still pretty stressed about her sister being here, though.”

“Yeah, I don’t blame her.” Nora clearly didn’t have the highest opinion of the Atlesian’s older sister. “I don’t know why Winter thought it was okay to call Weiss out like that in front of everyone! If she wanted to discuss that with her little sister, she could’ve waited until after we were done with the meeting.”

“It was... it was rather harsh.” Ruby agreed. She didn’t want to judge the Atlesian Specialist too much, and clearly Weiss wasn’t really angry at what her sister had done, but it was severe of the woman. Instead of angry, Ruby knew that her partner felt disappointed that she hadn’t lived up to her older sister’s expectations. Ruby couldn’t blame her, if Yang had said something like that to her, she would’ve been heartbroken. “So, um, I hope you’ll like the pancakes.” 

“I’m sure I will.” Nora looked like she might start drooling, so the younger redhead didn’t doubt her reassurances. “Do you want me to get the others while you finish up?”

“Yeah, sure.” Ruby agreed, giving her friend a wide smile. There was only enough batter for a few more pancakes, but that was probably fine, they’d made a triple batch. “I’ll get everything ready to serve!”

Nora gave another enthusiastic salute, grinning cheerfully before she bolted towards their team’s doors. If Ruby didn’t know any better, she’d say her friend had a speed semblance like her!

* * *

Breakfast was a blast, even if Weiss was a little reluctant to join the rest of the group in eating, and soon enough everyone was breaking off for their own things. Normally, Jaune would probably have gone off to train with Pyrrha, Ruby possibly joining them and reading while they worked, but instead, on account of probably having a lot of hard work ahead of them with Winter and Cedar, they decided to relax. 

What to do to relax though? Visit the farms of course. Jaune was in the middle of the bench today, holding a large, somewhat overstuffed bag of feed. Ruby was on his right, a wide smile on her face as she offered more food to an eager chick. Pyrrha wasn’t actively feeding the chickens, rather just resting her head on Jaune’s shoulder, a gentle smile on her face as she watched their girlfriend eagerly feeding the chickens. They were silent, save the occasional laugh from Ruby, simply enjoying each others company as the time passed.

The croak of a raven drew Ruby's attention from the chick she was currently feeding, silver eyes squinting as she tried to get a better picture of the bird. It looked strangely familiar. As faded memories came back to her, the younger teen felt a little apprehensive, but for some reason, the raven looked a little different. Was it possible for birds to frown? That's kind of what Ruby thought it was doing. Another caw escaped the black bird, before it took flight, flying towards the main campus. The thought of  _ that _ bird, although this was probably a very different one, left a slight frown on her face, one that her boyfriend was quick to spot.

"Hey," the sound of Jaune's voice drew Ruby's attention away from the raven, silver eyes turning towards cerulean. "Is something wrong?"

"No, not really," she shook her head gently, before a sigh left her lips. "Just thinking."

"What about?" Pyrrha asked, her tone ever gentle as she gave Ruby a reassuring smile. "You know you can talk to us, we won't judge you at all."

"It's just… it's weird." Ruby mumbled quietly, wanting to drop the subject, though neither Pyrrha or Jaune looked like they thought she should say that about herself. "I just… back at Signal, they made fun of me a lot for it, same with the kids at primary school before I started attending combat school. They said I was weird. Crazy."

"They were wrong." Jaune said, rather sternly, before his expression lightened. Reaching over, he gave the shorter redhead's hair a playful ruffle, smiling at her. "No matter what they say, that isn't true, Ruby. You can tell us if you want, but if you aren't comfortable with that, it's okay."

"It's… it's okay." Ruby did her best to return the smile, though she was clearly still a bit nervous. "I just… you promise you'll listen, no interruptions?"

"Of course, Ruby." Pyrrha reassured the younger girl, "we won't say anything until you're done."

"Thanks," Ruby mumbled shyly, ducking her head a little before leaning into the duo. "I, um… okay, where to start… when I was six, just a few years after my mom… yeah… I, um, it was my mom's birthday, we still had them even after she... I was playing with my sister, and she was telling me about our mom."

"It wasn't true, really. Just kid stuff, nothing serious, but I was just a little kid, and no one else would ever tell me about her. They still don't." Ruby explained, her expression slightly downcast until Jaune wrapped around her in a one-armed hug, eliciting a small smile from the redhead. "I saw a raven in our garden, after Yang went in to help dad set up.”

“I always liked birds, ever since I learned my favorite uncle was named after one.” Ruby said, a soft chuckle escaping her lips, “I know, he’s my only uncle, but still… So, there was a raven, and… I walked up to it, and I asked it if it wanted to know about my mom, since I knew a whole lot after talking to Yang.”

Her expression fell again, both at the memory, and at how people had treated her at school when she’d try to tell them.

“It spoke back to me.” Ruby saw that both Jaune and Pyrrha looked a bit surprised, but thankfully held back from interrupting. “It… It told me  _ awful _ things about my mother, said that she would never be Yang’s mom, that I would be weak for being the daughter of Summer Rose.”

Jaune hugged Ruby a little tighter, and she gave a bittersweet smile. "My uncle, Qrow, came and cleared things up afterwards, told me about my mom. I wish he'd been around more, he's the only one who ever seems willing to say anything, even if it's not much."

"Y-Yang took what I said at face value back then, but… I've always known she didn't really think I'd talked to that raven." Ruby sighed, looking at Jaune and Pyrrha with a hint of melancholy in her eyes. "I've never talked to another animal, but… I  _ know _ that I talked to that raven as a kid. It wasn't just some doubts coming manifest, it  _ spoke _ to me, and no one has ever believed what I said."

"Hey, it's okay." Jaune insisted, giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze and he hugged her a little tighter again. "Sometimes... sometimes strange things happen, things that we can't really explain. That doesn't mean they didn't necessarily happen, it just means that it's something unique to us. I believe you when you said it happened, Ruby, even if I don't know  _ how _ it happened."

Pyrrha gave a nod in agreement, and Ruby ducked her head a little before leaning into Jaune and giving the pair a shy smile. "Thanks. I'm glad I was just being silly, worrying that you wouldn't believe me."

They remained silent for a few moments, before an idea crossed Pyrrha's mind, and she spoke up. "Um… remember how that person directed you to _the_ _Warrior in the Woods_? What if… I know this might sound strange, but… what if it's because of your eyes, Ruby?"

"I-I don't know." Ruby wasn't sure, she still felt nervous about the implications that there may be something abnormal about her eyes, outside of their rarity. If only because the implications that they were only rare because people had hunted down people with her eyes was more than a little unsettling. "I've tried talking to other animals, but it's never worked. Maybe there was something special about that raven."

"What if it was a person, with a semblance to turn into a bird?" Jaune joked, giving the younger girl a teasing smile, before he waved his hand dismissively. "I'm kidding, that's a bit far-fetched, even for a semblance."

"Heh, yeah." Ruby giggled softly, smiling a little warmer. "Thanks for listening… I-I don't like to talk about it. It's like how you noticed, the first day we were here, Jaune, back before initiation. Animals… Animals act weird around me."

"You shouldn't feel ashamed about that, Ruby." Pyrrha said, noticing the downward lilt her girlfriend's voice made at the end of her sentence. "You are a unique person, but that doesn't make you any less of the wonderful girl Jaune and I find so amazing."

"Thanks…" Ruby gave a timid mumble, eyes avoiding the duo as her cheeks warmed slightly at the sound of Pyrrha's compliment. "Y-You two are pretty amazing, too. A-And wonderful!"

"Hey now, there's no need to be shy!" Jaune said, as if he totally wouldn't become an embarrassed mess if Ruby or Pyrrha had complimented him, the jerk. "You're awesome, Ruby, and you can't get out of that no matter how much you think otherwise!"

"You're awesome!" Ruby retorted, as though that at all negated Jaune's words. It absolutely didn't. 

Pyrrha chuckled at her partners as they continued to trade compliments, both of their cheeks growing increasingly red and the conversation drew to an end. They remained in silence for a little while, until the taller redhead spoke up. "Ruby… can you tell me more about your mother? I understand if you don't want to, I just… I want to know more about the wonderful woman who gave us the chance to one day meet you."

"I don't mind telling you and Jaune." Ruby said softly. "I don't talk about her a lot since there's still so much I don't know, but I can tell you what my uncle told me."

"My mom, she used her enemies' egos against them, made them think she was a just a dainty waif, but really she was strong." Ruby explained, smiling softly. "She was the kind of person who would rather risk being robbed than avoid helping a beggar on the streets. She was always eager to help people, even at a risk to herself. She wasn't perfect, but no one is, a-and she couldn't imagine putting herself before others. She was  _ defined _ by her need to help people, but that didn't mean she didn't love me and Yang. W-We were her entire world."

Ruby didn't even realize she had begun to cry until she felt Jaune brushing away the tears running down her cheek with his thumb. "I-I wish I could've gotten to know her. I-I hope she'd be proud, o-of who I am."

"She is," Jaune said, his voice warm as he spoke. "No matter what, I'm positive that your mom is proud of you Ruby, I know it."

"Thank you…" Ruby wasn't sure when Pyrrha had moved, maybe it was when she had been lost in her lamenting, but she was suddenly brought into a hug from both sides, hiccuping softly as she tried to fight back more tears, a mixture of grief for her mother and happiness knowing she had two people with her that were so supportive. 

"You don't have to thank us, Ruby." Pyrrha insisted, her tone warm and gentle as she tenderly rubbed the shorter redhead's back. "We promised that we'd be here for you, no matter what, and we will be."

"Yeah, we did." Jaune agreed, his voice firm, but not stern, adamant in his determination to be there for his younger girlfriend whenever she needed him. Giving her a reassuring smile, he turned his gaze back forward, towards the still gathered flock of chickens, who didn't really seem to mind that the Huntsman and Huntresses-in-training had been distracted. "Do you wanna keep feeding them, or should we take over for a bit?"

"I-I think I'd like to just sit here for a bit, you can feed them." Ruby mumbled, feeling a bit embarrassed she'd let herself get distracted with thoughts of her mother when she was feeding the chickens, though she knew neither the animals or her partners really blamed her for that. 

"We're happy to take over." Pyrrha gave a reassuring smile before reaching for some feed. "Just take it easy, we'll all want to be one-hundred percent for training."

"Thanks, you two." Ruby said softly, her smile still not quite to its maximum cheerfulness, but doing a little better. She hated that sometimes she got overwhelmed with thoughts like that, and couldn't control her emotions as much as she'd like, but she was glad that at least Jaune and Pyrrha were understanding, and didn't mind accommodating her in moments of weakness like that, even if they didn't think it was weakness at all. 

Maybe one day she could see it that way, too.


	27. Shine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Teams RWBY and JNPR begin their training with Winter and Cedar, though that isn't without a few difficulties of it's own. 
> 
> Elsewhere, nefarious forces meet and scheme.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Super sorry for the big delay! Been dealing with some stressful stuff and that makes this hard to write, and I honestly needed the break a bit.
> 
> The good news, I'm feeling a lot better now! I've also got a side series called Legacy that's starting, if you're interested in giving that a look.
> 
> Look forward to the next chapter soon, and thank you so much for reading! As always, comments, reviews, feedback, etcetera is all welcome and appreciated!

Ruby was still feeling a bit melancholic as the trio entered the training arena, which had been booked for Teams RWBY and JNPR for a two hour block in the afternoon. Waiting in the arena was Weiss’ older sister, Winter, and the other Atlesian Specialist that General Ironwood had introduced them to, Cedar Reed. 

While they were waiting for Yang, Ren, and Nora to arrive, Ruby took the chance to silently geek out about the two Specialists’ weapons. Winter was using a sabre, likely what inspired Weiss’ choice of rapier for Myrtenaster, while Cedar had a pair of gauntlets that reminded Ruby a little of Yang’s, though they were wider, almost shaped into bucklers he wore on each wrist, with the barrel of a gun peeking out from below the wide disk shapes. 

The somewhat down mood Ruby was feeling earlier began to melt away as the earlier anticipation of getting to train with _real Atlesian Specialists_ returned, and by the time her sister arrived with the other half of Team JNPR, Ruby was practically bouncing in place. 

“Ahem!” Winter cleared her throat at the gathering of teenagers in front of her, eliciting a sheepish squeak from Ruby, as well as a few nervous chuckles from members of Team JNPR and RWBY. “Today, we begin our accelerated training program. You’ve all elected to participate in the investigations on dangerous White Fang activities in Vale, and their ties to Roman Torchwick, and as such, General Ironwood and Professor Ozpin have agreed that you will need to be trained for the dangers you might encounter.”

“As such, we will begin with assessing how far along both of your teams are.” Winter continued, hands folded behind her back as she walked in front of them. Ruby could tell she was assessing them by the severity of her eyes, as they trailed across each member of Teams RWBY and JNPR, a stern frown on her face. “I will be taking Team RWBY, while Specialist Reed will be in charge of Team JNPR for the first hour. We will then switch after a short break. Understood?”

The teens replied with an assortment of affirmatives, some more reluctant than others, and the two teams split up. Ruby reluctantly departed the company of her boyfriend and girlfriend, though it wasn’t exactly like they were very far away. Spotting Jaune’s nervous expression as his team gathered in front of Cedar, she shot him an encouraging smile, which he returned with a sheepish one of his own. Jaune was probably going to have a hard time, today, Ruby realized, so she decided she’d do her best to cheer him up later. 

Winter cleared her throat, causing Ruby the jump nervously. “Miss Rose, if you’re done with paying attention to boys, we have more pressing matters to tend to.”

“I, um, sorry, ma’am!” The redhead chirped, scratching at the back of her head, cheeks warm with embarrassment. Winter didn’t look particularly pleased with her apology, and neither did Weiss, who currently had her face in her palms. 

“Just don’t do it again.” Winter said sternly, Ruby shrinking under the withering glare the older woman gave her. Turning her attention on the entirety of the team, Winter puffed up her chest slightly, before getting back on track. “Now then, you all explained your semblances to us, but I’d like to see a more direct demonstration. It’s important for me to have an exact idea of your capabilities before I begin.”

“Miss Rose, since you were so keen on being distracted, perhaps you can start with a demonstration of your semblance?” Ruby sheepishly nodded, cheeks still blazing with embarrassment at getting distracted. Now of all times, she really couldn’t do that kind of thing, it was just rude to Winter and Cedar, especially when they were dedicating valuable time to them.

Shutting her eyes, Ruby took a moment to focus, before exploding into a gust of rose petals, blasting forward before reconstituting a few meters aways. The ground was littered with petals that would fade in time, but hopefully that wouldn’t be a real concern for the older Schnee. 

“So, um, that’s the main thing I do with my semblance!” Ruby said, giving a nervous smile. “I, um, I’ve also done something different a couple times, but I’m still trying to figure it out.”

“And what might that be, Miss Rose?” Winter asked, a hint of impatience in her otherwise normally severe tone. 

“I, um, well… It’s like I become there, and not there?” Ruby tried to explain, hands dancing in the air as she desperately sought out the right words. “I become rose petals, but I don’t move fast, I just kind of…”

“She becomes semi-intangible.” Weiss spoke up, Ruby shooting the Atlesian a grateful smile as subtly as one could. “She described an incident that happened a few weeks ago, when a student grabbed her wrist, and her arm briefly became petals, allowing her to escape his grasp. She has also demonstrated such abilities to escape some of her sister’s more… intense hugs.”

Yang snorted a little at the description of her signature bearhugs, a smirk on her face. “Yeah, that made for an interesting morning.” The blonde chuckled, stretching her arms up. “Too bad she hasn’t figured out how to get it working on command.”

“Well, we can work on that later.” Winter replied, her statement surprisingly kind considering the severe tone of her voice. “For now, since you’ve spoken up, Miss Xiao Long, perhaps you can be the next to demonstrate your semblance? You described it as redirecting the damage your Aura takes, I’d like to see how that works.”

Removing the saber from her side, Winter raised it up as she tapped into her semblance, the signature glyph of summoning appearing as an azure colored Beowolf emerged from the ground. “This will be your target. Do you need any assistance in your demonstration?”

“Sure thing!” The blonde replied with a wide grin, resting her hands behind her head as she stepped forward, looking over to her partner. “Blake, think you could hit on m- _hit me_? I meant hit me. Blake, please, hit me right now before I keep talking.”

The cat Faunus gave her partner a deadpan stare, before kicking her square in the midsection, eliciting a grunt from the flustered blonde. Yang’s hair glowed like fire as her eyes turned red, and she let out the stored up energy in a violent punch that took off the summoned Beowolf’s head, the Grimm facsimile fading into the air. “So, uh, how was that, teach?” Yang asked, looking over to Winter, scratching behind the back of her head sheepishly. 

“Well, the demonstration certainly was concise.” Winter replied curtly, not looking at all pleased at the blond. “Perhaps it isn’t just your sister who needs to get her head out of the clouds.”

Ruby snickered at that jab, sticking her tongue out at Yang, who glared in return, before Winter gave an exasperated sigh. “Moving on.” The Atlesian woman said forcefully, before her expression lightened to one of neutrality as she turned her eyes on Blake. “Miss Belladonna, if you don’t mind demonstrating your semblance?”

“Of course.” Blake nodded, before shifting suddenly backwards, leaving an identical image of herself in the space she’d been standing. “It’s straightforward enough, but I can use it with Dust as well, I just don’t usually have any to spare on doing that.”

“Weiss,” Winter turned to her sister. “Do you have any Dust you can spare your teammate? I’d like to see what else she can do.”

“What? Why can’t you-” Weiss stopped herself, giving a brief huff before nodding. “Of course, Winter. Blake, what kind of Dust would you like to test?”

“Well, I’ve used Fire and Ice before. Do you mind if I try with some Earth Dust?” Blake asked, her ears perking up slightly beneath the ribbon concealing them. “I figure it might work similarly to Ice Dust, but a little less fragile?”

“Of course. I’ll be right back,” Weiss said with a polite nod, though Ruby could tell by the look in her eyes that she was frustrated her sister had relegated her to fetching Dust for other members of their team. “I’ll have to fetch some compatible with Gambol Shroud.”

While Weiss was away, Winter turned her focus back on Ruby, having her try to escape various holds from Yang using her semblance. It was tiring work, but important. Ruby just hoped that Jaune and Pyrrha were having a better time over with Cedar.

* * *

"Now that we have the basics of what everyone knows down, I'd like to set you on some individual exercises," Cedar Reed announced, hands on his hips as he observed Team JNPR. While Winter had already begun on testing with the semblances the students had explained, Cedar seemed to be far more interested in getting a good assessment of Jaune's team, at least from what the teen could tell. Jaune shifted nervously in place as the Atlesian Specialist stepped closer, stopping first in front of Ren.

“Ren, your semblance is one that could be the key between lives being saved and lives being lost. I want you to practice expanding out from yourself so you don’t need to rely on touch.” The brunette man said, before moving on to the next member of the team. “Nora, you’ve got a powerful semblance, one I don’t think we’ll need to work on too much. I want you to be training with hand to hand, in case you find yourself without your weapon. We may want to work on something that can help you tap into electricity when you need to, maybe some gloves lined with Lightning Dust?”

“Ooo! That sounds fun!” Nora cackled, grinning widely. Unlike the rest of her team, the redhead definitely seemed way more laid back and excited. Jaune was a little jealous, he wanted to have that kind of carefree attitude. He held back a chuckle as his teammate’s eyes widened gleefully. “Maybe I can get lightning boots, too!” 

“We’ll stick to the gloves, for now.” Cedar replied with a laugh, before moving on to Pyrrha. “Miss Nikos, you have a very good grasp on using your semblance subtly, but I’d like to advance to some other uses. Have you ever tried to reshape the metal you manipulate?”

“Reshape?” Pyrrha raised a brow, looking a bit perplexed at the question. Jaune sent her an encouraging smile, which caused her cheeks to redden, and she turned her focus back on the Specialist. “No, sir, it didn't really occur to me that I might be able to. Is that what you want me to work on?”

“Got it in one,” Cedar nodded, before moving on to Jaune, who was understandably nervous. The Specialist was having the team focus on their semblances, and that was… not really an option for their leader. “Jaune, you’re going to work with me today. I need to go get some stuff for Pyrrha and Nora, so while I’m gone, I want you to meditate and focus on your Aura.”

“Uh, okay. I’ll do my best, sir.” Jaune said, giving an affirmative nod. As the Specialist made his way out of the arena to gather what he needed, Jaune did his best to do what he’d been asked. As it turns out, meditating on his Aura with zero proper training was harder than it sounded. The blonde shifted awkwardly as he sat, legs crossed as he’d seen Ren do numerous times before. A minute passed, and then another, before Jaune let out a loud sigh, leaning back to lie against the ground. “I have no idea what I’m doing.”

“Maybe I can help?” Jaune looked up to see Ren looking down at him, a hint of mirth in his eyes the only emotion on his otherwise neutral face. The Mistralan reached a hand out, which Jaune took, Ren helping the blonde stand up. “First things first, you need to focus more on your Aura, on your soul. You can’t let your mind wander."

"I-I'm trying!" Jaune insisted, cheeks warm with embarrassment that he couldn't even manage this simple of a task. "Everytime I try to I just get… lost. I'll start hearing the sounds around me too loudly."

"Maybe I can help." Ren offered with a sympathetic smile. "Specialist Reed suggested that I practice my semblance from afar, right? I'm going to practice it on you, and while it takes hold, I want you to focus on who you are," Ren's eyes drifted briefly to Nora, "to the things that matter to you, to why you want to be a Huntsman now."

"Yeah, I'll … I'll give it a shot." Jaune agreed, nodding hesitantly. Ren walked a few feet away from him, sitting down opposite Jaune, his body becoming shrouded in grey as his already neutral expression relaxed. A sudden overwhelming sense of serene calm overtook Jaune, and the blonde repositioned himself, eyes shutting as he tried to follow Ren's advice.

Who was Jaune Arc? He had always wanted to be the kind of man his mother said his father was as a teen, before his accident had given him a more serious demeanor. Confident, boisterous, strong, _manly_. He tried to be that way when he first arrived at Beacon, despite his obvious inexperience. He flirted with Weiss over one compliment, which he now understood wasn't actually meant as such, and had pestered her relentlessly for months. He tried to be the only one in charge of his strength, despite his clear lack of improvement, and spurned Pyrrha's attempts to help him. It was only when he had accepted that he wasn't supposed to be a carbon copy of his father that he finally felt truly at home with Beacon.

He was Jaune Arc, the dorky guy who liked to feed chickens with Ruby Rose. He was Jaune Arc, Pyrrha's ever determined apprentice, working tirelessly to improve so that he could one day stand beside his friends as their equal. He was Jaune Arc, the guy who didn't mind wearing the dresses his big sisters bought him, who liked to paint his little sisters' nails and have them paint his in turn. He had been mocked as a child for being so comfortable with that kind of stuff, but he never understood why. Wearing a skirt his twin Viridian owned didn't make him any less manly than her wearing his jeans made her less of a woman. He was Jaune Arc, and he could be his own person without relying on the preconceived ideas of what he should do to be a man, of how he should act, of what he should wear.

He knew who he was, and it wasn't his father.

"You're doing good, Jaune." He heard Ren's voice, but it didn't feel as distracting as it might've before. "Do you have the answer to who you are? Don't answer! Just nod if you do. Good. Now move on, think about what matters to you, why you want to become a Huntsman."

Right. What mattered to Jaune. Why he wanted to become a Huntsman. It was his family, wasn't it? The legacy of his father, grandfather, and father before him. The idea of Caius Arc, going off to become a Knight of Vale before the Great War had even begun to bring honor to his family. Jaune thought of his family, and began to picture them in his head: Blaine Arc, retired Huntsman and stern father, Juno Arc, doting mother who always let Jaune learn how she made their meals and baked their treats. Vermilion, the oldest, always eager to help when something went wrong. Saphron, born five minutes later, ever the free spirit, who had, whether he wanted to admit it or not, been a huge inspiration for him. Viridian, his twin, born only a couple minutes after him, rebellious and always seeking trouble. Azure and Bluebell, the only identical twins of the bunch, and gleefully aiding each other in their schemes and pranks. Indigo, who hated the color schemed clothes his mother bought them maybe even more than he did, and was ever eager to read a good book. Iole, the youngest of the bunch, quiet and shy, but carrying a secret talent for art she had only shared with him. They were his family, and he knew that they loved him as much as he loved them, even if he felt bitter about how quick they were to dismiss his dream. Were they really why he wanted to become a Huntsman? Maybe once, but that wasn't the case anymore. 

Jaune turned his thoughts towards the friends he'd made at Beacon. Ren, Nora, Yang, Blake, Weiss… Ruby, Pyrrha. Ruby, who was his first friend, who was happy to spend all the time in the world with him, laughed at his dopey attempts to be the kind of manly his father would expect, but never held it against him, who encouraged him when he was lost and gave him the spirit to stand up for himself against Cardin. Pyrrha, who tried so hard to get through to him when he was so caught up in his masculine bullshit that he refused to seek help when he needed it, who had chosen _him_ as her partner out of every person at the initiation, who worked with him to make sure he could be the Huntsman he knew he could be. 

He thought of them. All three of them, of their talks, of their gentle touches and little shows of trust and affection. He thought of the time they'd spend together, just enjoying one another's presence in silence. The nights Ruby would join himself and Pyrrha on the roof, reading a book and showing support as the duo trained. Jaune thought of the idea of graduating Beacon Academy, Pyrrha at his side as partner, Ruby smiling at the both of them as she stood with her own team, of getting to join the red haired duo in traveling Remnant, saving lives from the threat of Grimm and reclaiming just a little more safety for the world. He thought of settling down with them, of spending the rest of his life with them.

His was hesitant to say that he loved them, some part of him certain that only a few weeks together was far too early to say that word, but he knew, deep in his heart, that he would do anything for Pyrrha and Ruby, and he would give anything the spend all of his days with them.

"You're doing great kid." The sound of Cedar's voice drew Jaune out of his trance, and his eyes shot open, the blonde letting out a startled shout as he realized that his team and Ruby's were staring at him. Laughing, the middle aged man reached down, helping Jaune stand with a supportive clap on the teen's back. "I knew you had a lot of Aura, but I wasn't quite expecting the light show."

"The, uh, what?" Jaune sputtered out, eyes still wide as he looked around in confusion.

"Your Aura was really glowing by the time I got back." The Specialist explained, "when people meditate on their Aura, sometimes it will manifest, and, if there's a lot of it, they can even start to shine, so to speak. Some of our scientists suggest it may have to do with the kinds of semblance someone has, or the capacity of their Aura. Either way, it was quite the sight to come back to."

Stepping forward, Cedar looked at the group of students still staring in Jaune's direction, and cleared his throat. "Enough of that, everyone. We still have more than an hour of training to get through, you can chat about it later." His statement was met with a series of sheepish acknowledgements, before the rest of Teams RWBY and JNPR returned to their tasks at hand. Looking to Ren, the only one who hadn't reacted with such surprise, Cedar gave the Mistralan boy a nod. "Ren, I'd like for you to keep working with Jaune. It gives you a good chance of practicing your semblance more, and will help him with his meditation. Jaune, we can work one on one next time, okay?"

The blonde gave a sheepish nod, while Ren gave one in affirmation to the Specialist's instructions. Jaune followed his teammate a few paces, before the two of them sat down, and began practicing again, Jaune focusing as the serene feeling overtook him once again.

He was Jaune Arc, and what mattered to him more than anything was Pyrrha Nikos, and Ruby Rose. They were what drove him forward, and he wouldn't let them down. 

* * *

Neopolitan made her way through the White Fang's encampment in Forever Fall as quickly as she could, suitcase clung tightly to her chest. Some of the Faunus would stare, or even glare, at her as she passed, but most paid her no mind. If there was one thing she despised about having to coordinate with Taurus, or as her dad so gleefully called him, Bully Boy, was how out of the way all of his bases were. With all the money the Witch was giving them, you'd think they could've splurged for a decent headquarters in the city of Vale proper, but the bull Faunus seemed to insist on roughing it out in the wild.

Passing by the always masked man who served as Taurus' lieutenant, Neo entered the largest tent of the encampment, which made up the makeshift command center for the White Fang in the Kingdom of Vale. On her arrival, the bull-horned leader looked up from the wide table that mapped the Kingdom's capital and its surrounding land, giving a grunt of acknowledgement. "So," she hated his voice, but she could put up with it if it meant getting to free her dad from prison. "You've brought me what I needed?"

Neo gave a rather pointed nod, before placing the suitcase on the table and popping it open. Inside was a black and red suit, which at a first glance, reminded the diminutive teen a little of the outfits that Junior would give his men. On further inspection, though, it was undoubtedly not that, for there were rose patterns in a dark red that was almost impossible to distinguish from the black, weaving across the suit. 

"Yes, this will do." Taurus said, giving a rather eerie grin that even Neopolitan found somewhat concerning. "To think, this is the sort of thing I should always have been allowed to wear, instead of living like a slave in Mantle. If only blah, blah, blah." 

Neo had honestly started tuning him out as quick as she could. She was way more interested with how much she'd get to gloat to her dad once they'd gotten him out. Had _he_ ever snuck into the hotel one of Vale's Councilmembers were staying in, and stolen from them? Well, maybe, but she'd done it on her own and she was proud, damn it! Maybe now her dad would let her wear green eyeshadow without telling her how much it clashed.

Probably not.

"Right." Taurus's voice drew her attention, now back to his more serious tone, indicating he'd concluded his, in her opinion delusional, ranting. "This will do excellently, Neopolitan. Thank you for fetching it." Neo gave a polite nod, before making her way to the tent's exit, though she lingered a moment in case he had more to say, which he inevitably did. "I'll be ready for our little… outing by the end of the week. I'll send a messenger when I'm prepared. And Neopolitan… thank you for listening. It's always good to see a human who gives Faunus the respect we deserve."

Neo gave a smirk, nodding her head, before leaving the tent and holding back a silent laugh. Gods that man was miserable. She might respect Faunus but she certainly didn't respect him, only the chance he was giving her to get her dad free. Spinning Hush playfully in her hand, Neopolitan made her way out of the White Fang's encampment, giving a mirthful skip all the way.


	28. Sisterly Squabbles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Cedar speaks with the General following the first day of training, Team RWBY and JNPR make their ways away from the training area, discussing what happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh! Hey. Been a while. I've been pretty out of it, but I'm happy to get a new chapter out after so long.
> 
> Hopefully everyone will enjoy. Thank you all for reading!

The Atlesian Naval Ship  _ Valorous _ was, at a glance, not at all different than the other two that had accompanied it on the trip bringing Atlas' students participating in the one-way exchange with Beacon Academy for the Vytal Festival. That was not to say the ANS  _ Valorous _ wasn't different, but it was in more subtle ways. How each soldier stood a little more rigidly at attention, how the floor of each hall and room of every deck was spotless.

For his time overseeing the presence of Atlesian troops in Vale, to transport the next edition of Atlesian Knights to the central Kingdom and oversee all Atlesian operations in the region, General Ironwood had made the airship his temporary headquarters. Standing silently in the captain's quarters, he looked over the spawling metropolis of the city of Vale, which stretched on in the distance, the headmaster of Atlas Academy not even able to see the distant coast from the  _ Valorous _ ' position in the air around Beacon Academy. 

"So, what's your assessment?" General Ironwood asked, not bothering to turn around to look at Cedar as the Specialist entered his temporary office aboard the ANS  _ Valorous.  _ His arms were folded behind his back as he peered out the window at Vale, at the people he was sworn to protect, even if Oz had disagreed with the extent of the measures James would take. 

“It was a little touch and go at the start, but I think they’ve got potential.” Cedar stated, not quite as formal as Winter may have, but still with clear respect for the General. "I've gotten Miss Nikos started on some broader applications of her semblance, same with Mister Ren and Miss Valkyrie. From Winter's report, the biggest concern she has is Miss Rose's semblance. Apparently she's recently had it expand beyond what she's familiar with, and is still adapting."

"Is that so?" James asked, brow furrowing as he tried to recall Summer's semblance from the last he'd seen it, well over a decade ago. "Anything else to report?"

“I’m still a bit worried about Mister Arc, his lack of proper training until recently is pretty clear.” Cedar noted, frowning. "He has exceptional potential - when he was focused on drawing out his Aura, he caused quite the stir. I'm sure Pietro would love to study it some, if he were here."

“Really? A shame that… well, that was something Ozpin disclosed to me after our meeting with the students.” James agreed, frowning slightly. That the boy’s family refused to train him, when he clearly had a great potential, was a great disappointment. He could sympathize with not wanting to lose their son to the endless fight against the Grimm, but that was the very reason they  _ needed _ more men like the young Mister Arc. He could be an invaluable asset against Salem. All of the children he had Cedar and Winter training could be. “Are you up to the task of correcting that and bringing Mister Arc up to task, Cedar?”

“Of course, sir.” The Specialist nodded, smiling confidently. “I think he’d be willing to do something more one on one for sessions, where I can focus on bringing him up to speed quickly. Winter can easily take over the other students.”

“Good.” General Ironwood nodded slowly, before turning to face his subordinate. “Cedar, White Fang activity may have slowed with Torchwick’s capture, but I’m positive that this isn’t over. I - We need those kids in the best shape you can get them, as soon as you can.”

“Of course, sir.” While it was a shame that this would take away from their opportunities to relax, Cedar knew from what General Ironwood had told him, or at least conveyed through his actions, that they wouldn’t have much longer to spend as children either way. Something was happening, something bad, and it was Atlas’ job to see the world through whatever trial awaited it. “Is that all you need me for?”

“It is. Thank you, Cedar.” James replied politely, giving an almost relaxed nod to the Specialist. How much the relaxation had been forced, Cedar would never be able to say. General Ironwood excelled at ignoring rather serious concerns and putting on a relaxed face. 

“Always happy to help, sir.” The Specialist said with a smile, before offering the General a salute and departing his office. 

With Cedar gone, General Ironwood gave fully into his frown, massaging his temples with his prosthetic hand. The situation was not as ideal as he’d hoped, but things were at least contained. He only hoped that August would be more receptive of his entreaties to gain access to Torchwick. He meant no offense to Vale’s prison system and police force, but the general would rest far easier knowing that the notorious criminal was secure aboard the  _ Valorous _ . 

Glynda and Ozpin were still against having so many of Atlas’ troops temporarily stationed in Vale until they had caught whoever attacked the Fall Maiden, hell, they were against him just staying until the end of the Vytal Festival. Despite their concerns, they seemed all too happy to rely on his Specialists - he did his best to not lord it over them, he understood the need for cooperation in this situation. 

If there was one thing he truly hated, it was getting those kids involved in the situation more than they already were. Ozpin and he had shared many arguments over the validity of the Huntsmen programs over a more stringent army like the one Atlas had, even if the northern Kingdom had also benefited greatly from the presence of the Huntsmen-turned-Specialists that served in their military. 

Perhaps it was hypocritical of him to put so much support in the Specialist Program, especially given his criticisms of the man who had founded the academies, but James had been handed a flawed system, and was going to do the best with it that he possibly could. If Ozpin didn't see the point in having his armies around to protect Vale, and, more importantly, the Fall Maiden, then he was blinded by his dislike of the army.

James would see Remnant through this crisis, he only hoped that he could do so with his comrades at his side.

* * *

"Holy crap, Vomit Boy, you've really gotten better!"

Somehow, hearing that nickname come from her sister's mouth instead of her own made Ruby feel kind of frustrated. She knew her sister didn't mean anything by it, and Yang technically  _ was _ right, but something about hearing her say "Vomit Boy" just really irked Ruby. Things weren't helped as the group came to a stop when her big sister decided to give Jaune an "encouraging" pat on the back. 

"Yeah, thanks, Yang." Jaune grumbled loudly as Ruby rushed to his side, Pyrrha not far behind, though the younger girl could tell she was holding back a bit. Thankfully, the blonde boy seemed to be taking things in stride, giving a shrug and a sigh as he smiled at Ruby. "I didn't really think it was that big of a deal." 

"Are you kidding me?" Ruby blurted out before she could stop herself, a bit disappointed by the way Jaune was casually dismissing things. With wide silver eyes, she gave the best pout she could, which seemed to be causing the older boy to falter slightly. He might not understand that it was cool to witness, to feel, but Ruby certainly could, and so she'd do her best to put it to words. "That was so cool, Jaune! You were all like "hmm" and then your Aura was like "Bwah" and everything got super bright!"

"Aww, it wasn't  _ that _ great." Jaune insisted, chuckling sheepishly as he scratched at the back of his head, an awkward grin on his face. Ruby pouted a little, worried that maybe he wasn't entirely comfortable with the attention everyone had given him. 

They had just finished up with their first day of training with the Atlesian Specialists and were now headed back to the dorms, and the redhead made a point to be beside Jaune and try to reassure him. Pyrrha was lingering back a little, still walking beside Ren and Nora, but Ruby was sure that it didn't mean anything was wrong. 

"I'm glad you think it was great, Ruby." Jaune said softly, reaching over and ruffling her hair, the diminutive girl squawking indignantly in embarrassment. "If it wasn't for you and Pyrrha I don't think I ever could have managed something like that."

"What?" Ruby squeaked out, her face warming as the inevitable blush that accompanied any time Jaune was saying something nice about her came up. How could  _ she _ have been at all a help for something like that? She was all the way across the room, and it wasn't like she'd ever been really all that involved in the training he did on the roof. She could understand Pyrrha, she was like the best mentor ever, but she really didn't do all that much. "I'm not good at Aura or any of that stuff, how could I have helped?"

"Well, that's pretty easy, actually." The smile grew fondly on his face as he spoke matter-of-factly, Ruby instinctively ducking her head down a little as she felt her blush growing a little. Why did he have to smile at her like that? It made her feel all awkward and weird in a really nice way she couldn't describe. "Ren asked me to think about the thing that mattered most to me. It wasn't family, as important as they are, it was you Ruby. You and Pyrrha."

Okay that stopped her dead in her tracks. Her entire face had to have been covered in a blush by now, and from the looks of things as Pyrrha stepped a little close, the champion wasn't doing much better than she was. 

Ruby could barely squeak out a "what?" before Jaune began to sputter nervously, trying to clarify what he'd said, not that there was really a way to walk back "you and Pyrrha are the two most important people in my life." That was kind of a pretty straightforward thing, not really complex or nuanced at all.

Yang snapped on this like a shark in bloodied waters grinning widely all the while."Wow, lover boy," she spoke in that teasing singsong voice she always seemed to get when she was talking about Jaune or Pyrrha to Ruby. "I didn't think you'd be so bold as to confess your undying love for my sister right in front of me!"

Yang! That wasn't what he said! Not exactly, anyways. Ruby pouted furiously, despite her still flustered cheeks, certain that this was going to come up a lot in the next few days. "Yaaaaang!" The redhead pleaded ineffectually, her sister seemingly fueled on by her embarrassment. At least she seemed to have Blake off her mind for the moment. "Don't tease Jaune!"

"Aww, come on, sis!" Yang grinned wickedly, "how do you feel about Jaune's confession?"

"Th-that's not what he was saying and you know it!" Ruby insisted, though it wasn't exactly as though he has said  _ nothing _ . He said that she and Pyrrha were the most important people in his life, that was pretty close to saying he loved them, even she couldn't deny that.

"Maybe we could let Jaune finish what he was trying to say?" Pyrrha suggested softly, ever the moderator even as her cheeks matched the color of her hair, which only made Ruby feel even more flustered in turn. The sisters stopped bickering, if a little reluctantly, and Jaune shot Pyrrha a grateful smile. "Go on, Jaune."

"Right. Um. I don't know if I'm comfortable enough to say, um,  _ that _ word." He mumbled sheepishly, Ruby doing her best to give him an encouraging smile to combat Yang's teasing grin. "I, well, I just… I really like you two. Pyrrha, you've always put up with my dumb decisions and you've helped me get so much better as a Huntsman, both physically and academically. Ruby, every day you're like a brilliant light that keeps me going further and further, no matter how drained I feel like."

Jaune smiled warmly, even if his cheeks were a lovely rose hue, he seemed unexpectedly confident as he looked at Pyrrha and Ruby, before returning to Yang. "Of course they're the most important people in my life. Who else could even get close to that?"

"I…" Wow. Even Yang seemed a bit speechless at that. Ruby let out a squeak as her big sister pulled her into a one armed hug, a rather surprised Pyrrha taken in on the blonde girl's other side as well. "Well, girls, I'm going to leave him to you. You all have fun!"

What was  _ that _ supposed to mean? Before Ruby could even ask, Yang had sped off at a brisk walk away from the rest of the group, Ruby able to catch a glimpse of the frown on her face as she turned a corner. Was Yang upset at her? Had she done something wrong?

"Don't worry about it." Ruby jumped slightly as she felt Pyrrha's hand on her shoulder, the older girl giving her a reassuring smile. "I'm sure that Yang is just processing things. You're her little sister and you're starting to grow up. It's a big change for her, too."

"I just… I hope she isn't too angry." Ruby mumbled softly, looking down towards the ground. Yang had raised her for most of her life, even after their dad started to get back on his feet after her mom… the thought of Yang even potentially being mad at her made Ruby feel ill.

"She isn't." Jaune added, smiling softly as he took Ruby's left hand into his right. Before she could say anything, Pyrrha mirrored the action, the two of them both giving reassuring squeezes as they looked at Ruby. "If she's anything like my big sisters, she's just feeling a bit anxious because she's not as big a part of your life as she used to be. She just needs some space."

"If you're sure…" 

"Don't worry about it!" Nora piped up, smiling at the trio as she dragged Ren along. "We'll go check up on Yang, you guys have fun!"

Before anyone could get in a word otherwise, Nora took off after Yang, Ren looking rather emotionless as he was pulled along by the diminutive girl, as though this was a totally common occurrence.

To be fair, it sort of was.

As Ruby joined Jaune and Pyrrha in chuckling at the (totally not together together) duo's antics, Weiss approached, a fond smile briefly on her face before she turned to address the trio. 

"I suppose that Blake and I can find something to do, while you three spend some time together. Isn't that right, Blake?" Unfortunately, there was no response, the four of them spotting Blake already a way away, heading towards the library. Weiss let out a frustrated sigh, before huffing sadly. "I suppose I will be on my own. Have fun."

As Weiss walked off, Ruby wondered why everyone was acting like the three of them were going on a date or something. They were probably just going to hang out on the roof or something, maybe go to the farms and feed the chickens. Nothing complicated! Right. "Um, I guess we should get going?" She asked, looking at Jaune and then Pyrrha, the two taller trainees giving her nods. "Right! Let's go!"

* * *

"Are you okay, Miss Winter?" The Atlesian looked up curiously to find Penny standing in front of her, hands held in front of her skirt. The girl had a curious look on her face, green eyes wide as her head tilted ever so slightly to the left. 

"I'm… fine, Penny. And I thought I told you not to call me 'Miss.'" Winter replied, though in all honesty, she didn't feel fine. Thank Dust she hadn't a compulsion to hiccup whenever she lied like Penny did. The youthful gynoid didn't seem to have noticed, merely squeaking sheepishly at having forgotten to not address her formally. Could something artificial like Penny forget? Winter would have to inform the General as soon as she could. "Did you need something, Penny?"

"I was wondering if I could "hang out" with Weiss, now that you're done training her today!" Penny chirped cheerfully, giving an uncertain emphasis to the words "hang out" as she said them, as if she wasn't quite used to saying the phrase. "But if you want to talk, Winter, I'm happy to listen! What else are friends for, right?"

"I… suppose I could talk to you a bit, Penny." Winter acquiesced, the surety of her tone unusually absent. Venting was something that people did with friends, right? And one of General Ironwood's orders was that Winter was to help Penny adapt to being more… human. Surely it wouldn't be a problem. "Let us go find a seat."

The two walked silently a moment, Penny bouncing eagerly with each step, before the redhead came to an abrupt stop, extending her arm to point at a bench. "I have found a seat, Winter!"

The Atlesian Specialist blinked a few times as Penny remained stationary, pointing at the bench. "Penny?" The artificial girl looked curiously at Winter, clearly not certain what was so odd about what she was doing. "Penny, the phrase "finding a seat" and all its derivatives mean that, once the seat is found, we will sit in it."

"Oh!" The gynoid chirped sheepishly, her cheeks taking on a light green hue. "I will keep that in mind!"

With that, the two actually took a seat on the bench, Penny cheerfully bouncing in her seat while Winter remained as rigid as she could. "I am… having trouble with Weiss." The Atlesian Specialist admitted, after it became clear that her companion wasn't going to speak. "It is far harder to train her than I had expected."

"I don't understand." Penny stated, looking more than a little confused as she faced Winter. "Has Weiss done something wrong?"

"No! No." Winter shook her head fiercely, before looking down at the ground. "She is not at fault for my difficulties."

"Then what seems to be the problem?"

Winter paused at Penny's question, frowning deeply as she tried to think exactly  _ why _ she was feeling so frustrated by her sister. "I am… unsure." She finally admitted, sighing loudly. She felt angry, not at Weiss, but at herself. "Weiss is having difficulty getting down how to Summon using our semblance, after all the instruction I've given her before she came to Beacon. I just… I don't understand, Penny. When I was her age, I had already mastered the art of Summoning. I am pleased she's gotten so far with time dilation, but I don't get why she has such trouble with the most important aspect of our semblance!"

"How did you learn?"

"How did I learn?" Winter repeated Penny's question, head tilting slightly to the side to match Penny's, while the ever eager redhead nodded enthusiastically. "I… mother was already not in the best state of mind, so I learned from Grandfather's notebooks."

"Well there you go!" Penny exclaimed, a gleeful grin on her face. "Just provide Weiss the notebooks! You can train her in other things while she learns to Summon from those!"

"Do you really believe it's that simple?" Winter asked, completely dumbfounded by how such an obvious solution had eluded her.

"Of course!" Penny nodded vigorously. "Father would talk about someone's razor, and say "sometimes, the least complicated solution is the correct one." If you're having trouble teaching Weiss Summoning, simply go with the easiest solution, give her the same method you used to learn!"

"I… should have realized that." Winter hung her head low. "I've been a terrible teacher, and a worse sister. I just wish I knew how to apologize."

"Don't think so lowly of yourself, Winter!" Penny insisted, doing her best to look stern. All it managed was a choked back laugh from the Atlesian woman, but that was enough to make the redhead smile. "I know you aren't sure  _ how _ to apologize, but father always said that it was important to apologize as soon as you knew you did something wrong! Just tell her what you told me, and I'm sure that it will be fine!"

"It's not that easy, Penny."

"Of course it is!" Penny chirped defiantly. How could she simultaneously sound so cheerful yet insist that Winter was completely wrong? That just wasn't fair. "You'll have the opportunity soon! Weiss is approaching now!"

"What?!" Winter barely stopped herself from shrieking, standing straight up. About forty meters and closing away from the seated pair, Weiss was approaching, looking a little frustrated if Winter was seeing her expression correctly. Penny had shot up as well, and was waving eagerly towards Weiss as the shorter girl approached.

"Penny!" Weiss sounded quite cheerful, her expression brightening until she noticed her sister beside the redhead. Winter hated that her sister's expression dimmed on spotting her. Had she really hurt her sister so much? "Winter. I didn't expect to see you here after Penny sent me a message."

Penny did what? Maybe the gynoid was a little more clever than Winter had given her credit for. "It's fine." The Specialist said, doing her best to stand proud as she looked at her sister. "Weiss. I was just speaking with Penny, and I realized I owe you an apology." 

"What? Of course you don't, Winter you're-"

"I am not perfect, Weiss." Winter cut her sister off, surprising herself and the younger girl when she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Weiss, giving her an awkward hug. "I… thought myself the perfect teacher, when clearly I wasn't. And I got frustrated at you for not understanding what I tried to teach."

"Winter, that's not your fault!" Weiss tried to insist, but the Atlesian Specialist shook her head. 

"I made a mistake, Weiss, and I intend to fix it." Winter said adamantly, her younger sister deflating slightly. "When I taught you, I thought I could do anything, but that is clearly not the case. I will contact Klein and have Grandfather's notebooks sent over. Until then, we can work on other aspects of your fighting. Is… is that acceptable?"

"I… of course, Winter." Weiss nodded rigidly, which only caused the older woman to frown. 

"Weiss, this isn't a punishment." Winter insisted, doing her best to give her sister a reassuring smile. It wasn't the best by any means, but it was what she could manage. "I made a mistake in assuming that I was the right teacher for you. Grandfather's notes should be of much more help than I was."

"But I've already started on the ones you gave me before I left for Beacon, and they haven't helped." Weiss lamented. "I'm scared I'll never be able to do it correctly."

"Of course you can." Winter gave her sister an encouraging pat on the shoulder, perhaps a bit more rigidly than she'd like, but this was a process. "There are more back home, and I will be happy to answer any questions you have. No matter what."

"Do you promise?" Weiss sounded so meek that it almost broke Winter's heart. How could she have done this to her sister? To the little girl who had always looked up to her? 

"Of course, Weiss." Winter nodded. It was going to take a lot of time to undue the damage she'd done to her sister by being so harsh, but she wanted to try. As far as she was concerned, they were the only family that either of them still had, and she couldn't risk destroying that, too.

"Penny?" The cheerful gynoid jumped slightly, surprised to be addressed. "I am always happy for you to spend time with my sister, but… do you think you might be willing to let me and Weiss have some time to ourselves? Just this once?"

"Of course!" Penny gave an enthusiastic salute, grinning as widely as she could. "I'll see you both later! Perhaps Ruby would be happy to have some company!"

With the cheerful redhead on her way off to someone else, Winter led her sister to the bench she had been sharing with Penny, and helped her take a seat, before sitting beside her. 

She was willing to put in the effort, no matter how hard this was going to be. Anything for her sister.


	29. Bumping Heads

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nora goes after Yang, while Ruby has a chat she's been putting off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Life is hectic as of right now. Getting ready to move across the country is taking up a lot of my time, and the rest seems to be spent being an anxious mess about Covid.
> 
> This chapter isn't as long as I'd like, but I need to get it out so that the story can continue. I'm sorry about the gaps between updates lately, hopefully they'll speed up when things are less stressful.

The farms were nice, as always. Well, maybe not  _ always _ . If it was rainy they probably wouldn't be all that nice - the chickens wouldn't want to come out and play. That didn't matter though! The three of them had come to the farms and it wasn't rainy, so Ruby got to enjoy playing with the chickens while hanging out with Jaune and Pyrrha. Speaking of them, the duo from Team JNPR were currently sitting beside each other on one of the benches while Ruby did her best to corral the chickens so she could feed them. It wasn't too hard, since they always seemed to enjoy her company, but a few were wandering pretty far away from the main flock. 

Having found the last of the errant chickens, Ruby gently scooped it into her arms with a gleeful smile. Returning to her boyfriend and girlfriend with the ornery chicken at hand, she gave a wide smile, before putting it down in front of the bench and sitting down on Pyrrha's free side. 

"Hello!" The shorter redhead chirped, grinning as she tossed out some feed for the eager birds, before turning her focus onto Pyrrha. She could tell something was bothering her girlfriend, and didn't want to let it linger. "Is something wrong?"

"What?" Pyrrha seemed surprised that Ruby had noticed anything, but the Silver-eyed girl didn't relent, eyes wide, pleading silently that the taller redhead would open up. "It's… it's nothing, Ruby. Just a little self doubt, neither of you have to worry."

"It's not a worry, Pyrrha." Jaune chimed in, offering her a smile as he gave a gentle reaffirming squeeze to her shoulder, his arm wrapped behind her back as the two had been sitting beside each other. "If you feel like something is wrong, just speak up. I'm happy to listen, and I'm sure that Ruby is, too."

"Yeah!" Ruby nodded vigorously, the exaggerated motions managing to get her girlfriend to crack a smile. Taking the chance, the shorter girl snaked her arm around Pyrrha's, cuddling against it. "You're important, so I don't want you to feel like you have to hide anything… Tell you what, if you tell us what's wrong, I'll say something that's been making  _ me _ feel all anxious lately."

"That sounds like a fair enough proposal." Pyrrha relented, offering a lighthearted sigh in defeat. "I just… Seeing how great Jaune did today, I feel… inadequate. I feel like I should've been a better teacher than I was." 

"What? That's ridiculous!" Jaune insisted, sounding incensed at the insinuation. "Pyrrha, you're an awesome teacher, and without you I'd have washed out months ago. Just because you can't train me in my Aura control as well as some man twice our age doesn't mean you're a bad teacher!"

"Jaune's right!" Before Pyrrha could try to deny that, Ruby took the opportunity to give some positive reinforcement of her own. "You're really strong, but Mr. Reed is way older! That's like me trying to compare myself to Uncle Qrow! There's no way I'll be as good as my uncle, especially when I'm still training!"

"I'm… glad you both think so." Pyrrha replied, reluctance clear in her voice. "Perhaps I was placing too much importance on my role as your teacher, Jaune. I have been neglecting my own training a bit."

"We should train together, then!" Ruby announced, smiling widely as the other two gave her curious looks. "We can all do the training we need up on the roof! Jaune can work on his stuff, you'll work on yours, and I'll work on mine. That way we can still spend time together." 

"That's not a bad idea." Jaune acquiesced, his smile a little nervous from the thought that he'd be in charge of his own training now. "I should focus more on my meditation stuff, at least some of the time."

"Just try not to keep everyone awake by making the night sky too bright." Pyrrha replied with a teasing smirk, which left Jaune chuckling nervously. Ruby was going to laugh, but then Pyrrha turned to look back at her, looking a bit more serious. "Now, Ruby, I'm not going to forget your offer. What's been making  _ you _ anxious lately?"

"I, um, well…" Ruby ducked her head sheepishly, looking away. "I'm not sure what to do about my semblance." 

"What do you mean?" Jaune asked, brow raised high as Pyrrha wrapped an arm around Ruby, the shorter girl grateful for the reassuring hug from her girlfriend. 

"I just… I know I need to do something about it, but I don't know what." Ruby lamented, barely keeping herself from frowning by focusing on Pyrrha's affection instead of her tumultuous thoughts. "I keep telling myself that I should talk to Doctor Oobleck or Professor Greene but then I put it off with the excuse that it's not a big deal."

"Why don't you think it's a big deal, Ruby?" Uh oh. Something about Pyrrha's tone made it really clear to the younger redhead that she had worded something in a way her girlfriend didn't like. 

"I, um, well, like." Gosh could she stumble over her words any more than this? She just wanted to make sure Pyrrha understood why it wasn't a big deal. "It's my semblance! There are other things way more important, and I should be able to take care of it on my own, right?"

"Ruby, your concerns are just as valid." Pyrrha had that stern, not angry but definitely wanting to make it clear that what she had to say wasn't up for debate, tone that kept the shorter girl from reporting. "I know that you think there are more important things we can focus on, particularly with Torchwick and the White Fang, but you can't let yourself fall to the wayside, okay?"

"I-I know that!" Ruby insisted, though she knew she lacked a lot of conviction. 

"You two are both kind of similar like this." Jaune chuckled, drawing confused stares from Ruby and her girlfriend. He gave the duo a bemused smile as he continued. "Neither of you likes to take your own issues seriously! You always put yourselves first, and that's totally awesome, but you have to think about your own issues from time to time, instead of bottling it up."

"Well you're not much better." Pyrrha replied, Ruby choking back a startled giggle. It was rare to see Pyrrha be so severe, and she soon had an apologetic expression. "That's not quite fair, but when we were still in the first semester, you were quite determined to ignore your struggles in favor of letting Cardin walk all over you."

"I guess all three of us are kind of bad about that." Ruby couldn't help the warm chuckle that escaped her lips. It  _ was  _ kind of funny to her, how bad they were about that, but they could definitely get things done if they worked together. That was it! Together! "Hey, um, do you think after we're done here, you guys could help me talk to Doctor Oobleck? If you're with me, I'm sure I won't give up."

"Of course!" Pyrrha nodded, turning back to Ruby and smiling widely, tightening their hug a little. 

"Yeah! We'll be happy to come along." Jaune agreed, reaching out to fluff up Ruby's hair. Her cheeks warmed at the shared affection of her partners. For now, she turned her attention back to the gathering of chickens, reaching for the bag of feed Jaune had stored in his lap and scattering some for the eager birds. 

Ruby would've been content staying here forever, but with the help of Jaune and Pyrrha, she was sure she could manage talking to their professor.

* * *

It wasn't hard to find Yang, in Nora's opinion. She just went the same place that  _ she _ would've gone if she was feeling the same way she assumed Yang was feeling. Which wasn't good. Yang was probably feeling really, really bad. The kind of bad that Nora felt when Ren ignored her affection, but multiplied by like… a thousand. 

As to where she'd gone to check, she honed in immediately on the gyms as the best location to find Yang, and just as she'd suspected, the fiery blonde was there. Currently giving a punching bag a really rough time, Yang hadn't even noticed Nora entering the room, giving defiant shouts of frustration as she slammed her fists against the bag again and again until it finally gave out and burst out the back.

"Wow, quite the punch, huh." Nora teased, approaching the irate blonde with a teasing smirk. She was sure that if she just approached Yang trying to be sympathetic right away, it would probably just make the brawler more agitated. They weren't close enough for that kind of stuff, she needed to work with Yang's current mood, instead of against it. Going straight for the deep talks was when they were in libraries moping, not kicking ass in a gym. "Looks like you could use a partner, if you're up to it."

Yang paused, looking to ponder the offer for a few moments before giving a nod in affirmative. "Yeah, if  _ you're _ up to it." The blonde shot back, Nora not really minding the irritable tone in her voice. When friends were in a bad place, sometimes they said things they didn't mean, but Nora knew that they weren't thinking straight. 

"I did offer!" The redhead exclaimed cheerfully, cracking her neck as she approached Yang. "Besides, I need to get some stress off, playing with Dust for two hours hasn't really felt like I'm doing all that much."

"Fine." Yang grunted, rolling her shoulders as she took a few steps towards Nora, the shorter girl shifting her footing to get ready to spar. "I hope you know that I'm not going to go easy on you."

"Good." Nora grinned,right foot shifting backwards slightly just before Yang threw her first punch. The brawler was fast, for sure, but she wasn't on her A game, and the shorter girl used that to her advantage. Shifting to the right, Nora let the punch slide right past her, before striking the blonde in her gut.

Yang didn't stagger at the strike, though, and before Nora could dodge it, the brawler managed a quick jab to her side, which forced the redhead to take a few steps back. The blonde didn't let up, having gained a little ground, throwing several more quick punches that Nora had to block. Despite losing the advantage, the redhead wasn't going to give up so easily, pushing herself forward and headbutting Yang, sending the blonde stumbling backwards.

"Come on, Yang!" Nora exclaimed, "I thought you were better than this!"

"Shut up!" The blonde retorted, charging forward and swinging her right arm wide. Nora ducked beneath the strike, using both hands to grab Yang's arm and send her into the air. 

"Do I need to go after your hair, maybe?" Nora mused, which resulted in her friend's eyes igniting red. That was better, Nora wanted to see Yang at her best, or as close to it as she could manage; if it took getting her angry, that's exactly what Nora would do. 

"I said shut up!" Yang shouted, kicking off from where she'd landed with a renewed ferocity. Nora raised her arms in time to block the first flurry of punches, but wow did it hurt. 

"Make me!" Nora insisted, gritting her teeth as Yang reeled back for a stronger punch, her hair alight with embers. Taking a deep breath through her nose, Nora grabbed Yang's hand as the punch came in, her Aura flickering a little, before kicking Yang solidly in the chest.

Yang was sent sprawling on the ground again, Nora's chest rising and falling with haggered breaths as she tried to recover. Gosh Yang hit like a truck! Or maybe a Paladin. Those Paladins hit really hard. 

"Feel any better?" Nora asked. 

After a moment, a sigh escaped Yang's lips, and the brawler shifted up so she was sitting. "Not really."

"Feel like talking yet?" The redhead asked, sitting beside Yang and offering a sympathetic smile. 

"Not really." Yang pouted, folding her arms as her eyes darted away from the expectant redhead. Nora simply smiled and rested her hand over Yang's, giving a reassuring pat as they sat in silence. She wasn't going to push Yang if Yang wasn't up for it yet, she'd rather wait until the time was right. Spotting Ren near the door she'd entered the room with, Nora gave a short nod, letting him know that he didn't need to intervene. 

The duo sat in silence for almost twenty minutes, Nora occasionally shooting threatening glares towards curious onlookers, before another sigh escaped Yang's lips. "I hate that I'm not happy - that I'm  _ jealous _ of my sister being in a relationship with Jaune and Pyrrha while I'm still stuck single because just like always, I'm never good enough."

"Do you really think that's true?" Nora asked, her voice hushed and tender. Self doubt was actually something she was really familiar with, especially when she was a little younger. "Yang, you're awesome, and… and I know what it's like, feeling like you aren't good enough. Like no matter what you do the person you care about won't, no,  _ can't _ , notice you. Blake,"  _ and Ren, _ she held back from mentioning who she was thinking about, "absolutely cares about you, but isn't really ready to take that next step yet."

"I… I know that, I just…" Another sigh from Yang, this time far more defeated. Nora frowned, clasping her friend's hand entirely now, giving a gentle squeeze. This sounded familiar in a lot of ways, and she hated that Yang was going through the same thing. "Why is it so hard, to keep being her friend? I keep trying to avoid flirting and stuff, but then she'll say something and my heart just feels like it's thundering in my chest."

"I'm sure she's not trying to cause that, Yang, but it just means that she cares about you even if she's not ready yet." Nora consoled, moving her hand to Yang's back and making gentle affirming circles as she tried to help Yang. "You're really awesome, Yang, and you shouldn't feel bad about Blake not being ready to start something yet. You're beautiful, the second strongest girl in our year, and absolutely the best sister Ruby could ask for, even when you're doubting yourself."

"Yeah, thanks." Yang sent a slight smile Nora's way, which the redhead chalked up to a success, before the blonde's brow furrowed in confusion. "Wait. You said I'm the second strongest girl in our year! Whose first? Pyrrha?"

"Nah! I'm first!" Nora exclaimed, flexing her arms with a smirk. "You're pretty strong but you can't beat  _ these _ guns."

"What?" Yang shot back, though there wasn't any animosity amidst the competitive tone to her voice. Rising to her feet, the brawler looked at the redhead with lilac eyes. "You think you're tougher than me, Nora?"

"Oh I  _ know _ I'm stronger than you!" Nora replied, shooting to her feet with a cocky grin. "You want to go again, Xiao Long? Let's see how far I can throw you!"

"It's on, Valkyrie!" Yang returned with a grin of her own. "I hope you're ready to get your ass kicked!"

"Good luck!" Nora retorted confidently, cracking her knuckles and rolling her neck as she raised her fists.

By the time they had finished fighting, neither remembered why the spar had begun, and were too elated to really care.

* * *

Doctor Oobleck was thankfully easy to find, busy working away on grading papers, by Ruby’s guess. He seemed to be a little surprised to find the young redhead, along with Jaune and Pyrrha, arriving at his office when most students would be going to dinner. 

The office was cramped, bookshelves that stretched to the ceiling taking up much of the walls, books stuffed haphazardly into mismatched rows. At a glance, many of them were volumes of history books, ranging from subjects like the Great War to more obscure texts about ruined kingdoms lost to the passage of time. Along with more official texts, numerous unlabeled journals and binders took up space on the shelves, most likely Doctor Oobleck’s own writings. 

The desk at the center of the room was somehow even more of a mess than the one in his classroom, various papers spilled out across the surface. Some were definitely assignments from the first year class, so Ruby assumed that most of the others were from upperclassmen. About the only decor that wasn’t a mess of papers was the coffee machine sitting on a small table stuck between two of the large bookshelves, the open space on the wall taken up with a poster for the thirtieth Vytal Festival, covered in several signatures she didn't recognize, as well as her dad's and uncle's.

"Did you need something, Miss Rose?" Doctor Oobleck still spoke at a rapid fire pace despite the lack of a class he was attending, glasses slightly askew as he rushed forward quickly to take a closer look at the trio. 

"Um, yes!" Ruby squeaked out nervously after a moment, eyes wide as the doctor gave the three of them a cursory look before backing off. "I, um, well, do you remember when I was younger, and you helped me a bit with my semblance, because dad thought it was a little like yours?"

"Ah, yes, I was quite insistent that it wasn't, but Taiyang was adamant that I might be able to help some." Doctor Oobleck nodded, "while your semblance has some traits similar to more common speed semblances like mine and many others, it is not the same on a more fundamental level."

"I, well, yeah…" Ruby felt a bit flustered by how quickly he was speaking, taking a deep breath as Pyrrha and Jaune put a hand on each of her shoulders, showing a little support. She was grateful for their gesture, even if she didn't really need it. "I, um, I'm having trouble with my semblance, and I was hoping that you might be able to help me like back then."

"Is that so?" The doctor spoke rather slowly for a moment, as if more to himself than to her, before nodding quickly. "Right, well, explain what the issue is, Miss Rose, I'm uncertain whether or not I'll be able to assist, but I'll gladly listen and see what I can do!"

"So, my semblance was always turning into rose petals and going really fast, right?" Though she phrased it as a question, it was more of a statement, which Doctor Oobleck nodded to in return. "It's a bit hard to explain, but, it's not  _ just _ that anymore. I've been able to still turn into petals a couple times, but like… not move when I do that. Instead I just become... "

"Immaterial?" Pyrrha suggested, giving a nervous smile. After a moment, Ruby nodded, smiling back at her girlfriend. 

"Yeah! Like when Yang was hugging me, I did that and she just slipped right through me!"

"Hmm, well, it sounds to me like this might be a natural evolution of your semblance, Miss Rose." Doctor Oobleck explained, adjusting his glasses before speeding off to his desk once more, digging through one of the drawers for something. "In your case, I fear I may not be the most equipped to assist, Miss Rose, but fear not, I can contact an associate of mine and see about getting you some proper assistance in this manner."

"I, um, okay." She gave a rigid nod, as the Doctor reappeared in front of her. "Do you know when they'll be able to help out?"

"Hmm, that depends on what sort of schedule he's keeping right now." Doctor Oobleck said, half to himself and half to her. "He was always more focused on personal matters than he was on work, so hopefully he'll be willing to assist you soon. I'll let you know as soon as I can, Miss Rose, if he doesn't show up before then. That should be all, then, you three should get going to the cafeteria. You wouldn't want to miss out on dinner, now would you?"

"Um, no sir, thank you very much." Ruby agreed, giving another nervous nod before the trio left the eccentric doctor's office. Looking to Jaune and Pyrrha, she gave a halfhearted shrug. "I think that went well? I figured he wouldn't be able to help, but at least he knows someone who can."

"Yeah, I think it went fine, Ruby." Jaune nodded, giving her a reassuring smile. "I guess we'll both be getting some fancy training, right?" 

"Heh, yeah." The shorter redhead agreed with a nod. "I guess we should get going to dinner? Do either of you know what they're serving today?"

"I'm afraid not, but I'm sure it'll be something nice." Pyrrha replied, shaking her head. 

"Well, I could always cook us up something if you want." Jaune offered, giving his girlfriends a fond smile. "Or we could do Pyrrha's sandwiches again? Those were really good!"

"I say Pyrrha's sandwiches." Ruby added, "that way it won't take too long, and we can eat on the roof."

"Well, if you're both sure." Pyrrha sounded a little uncertain, though Ruby was quick to join Jaune in giving her a reassuring smile, and the taller girl relented. "Well, okay, but you two need to help make them."

"Of course!" Ruby chirped, while Jaune gave an affirmative nod. "Let's get going!"


	30. Infiltration

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another week has come and gone, and the time has come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooooooooh boy this chapter was fun but uh... whoooof. It's time for some content warnings.
> 
> First off, there's a good bit of Adam in the chapter, and he's icky and yuck and just _Adam_.
> 
> There's also some descriptions of violence. While I wouldn't call them graphic, it's more than with Tukson. 
> 
> I hope y'all enjoy the chapter! Things are still really hectic offline, but I've been feeling the writing bug a bit more lately which is really rad!

Neopolitan found herself surprised by how organized the White Fang felt after a week away from the camp. Where once the various members outside of Taurus' inner circle would either glare, stare, or simply ignore her, now they all looked at her with some semblance of reverence that felt off putting. Much of the camp had been packed up, and those who didn't notice her were busy putting away tents and storing things on stolen bullheads. 

"Good, you're here." Taurus's masked lieutenant spoke up as she neared the bull Faunus' tent, one of the few left standing still. "He's waiting inside."

With a nod and a  _ perhaps _ somewhat exaggerated bow, Neo made her way into the tent, where the leader of the Vale branch of the White Fang was waiting. In place of his normal attire, Adam was wearing the suit she'd brought him past Saturday, an almost black red detailed with roses, the Faunus' own emblem of a wilting rose stitched onto the breast pocket. In place of his mask, he was wearing a dark pair of sunglasses, which made his eyes near impossible to perceive, though Neo could make out some scarring from what appeared to be a brand around his left eye.

"Neopolitan, just the woman I wanted to see." The Faunus started, his voice heavy with that disgusting edge he got when waxing about how great he was. Ideally, she'd be able to tune him out, but not today - today she had to put up with all his grandstanding and self adulation. 

"With you here, we can finally start this operation to liberate our colleagues from Vale's clutches," Taurus announced as he passed by her and out of the tent. As if only in response to the sharp glare she gave him, he added: "and Torchwick as well, don't worry."

"With the aid of you and Torchwick, as well as our comrade who united us, we will finally be able to teach the humans who have always overlooked our struggles the price of their ignorance!" At this point, he was less talking to her, and more to the various masked Faunus who began to gather as he entered the center of the camp. "For far too long, the people of Vale have ignored the plight of the Faunus, and today is the first step in showing them that we will be silent no longer!"

Neo rolled her eyes, while several of the gathering White Fang members gave hushed cheers and spoken agreements. She had to wonder how much, if any, he had cleared this with Sienna Khan, given how this seemed to be beyond even her policy of violence when necessary. While the White Fang may have been branded terrorists by three of the four Kingdoms at Atlas' request, it was only really in the Vale branch that Neopolitan felt they had actually reached that threshold. The bombings were rarely, if ever, executed under Sienna, and solely in the task of liberating people from the dubiously legal mines outside the boundaries of Kingdoms, and Neo had never heard word of the White Fang assassinating members who sought to retire until rather recently with Taurus' branch. She couldn't help but wonder how much was really Taurus' will, and how much was the Witch's. 

"Today, we raid the highest security prison in the Kingdom of Vale, and liberate our interred comrades!" Adam announced, to the excitement of the gathered crowd. "While all of you make your way south to Mountain Glenn, I will be infiltrating one of the Kingdom's most heavily guarded areas and reminding the humans that  _ no where _ is safe from my cause! Under the guise of the bastard who sired me, I will show them why the Faunus are to be feared!"

While it was no secret that Adam's father was a human who had abandoned his mother, Neo found herself surprised he would risk being so open about who exactly that was. There were sometimes issues in the White Fang, about people who had a human parent, especially one so affluent, but she supposed that he was banking on the fact that such a well off man had abandoned his mother to earn more sympathy than ire. By this point, the crowd had begun to get louder, more excited, but quieted at the rising of Taurus's hand. "While you, my brothers and sisters, set up our operations south of the Kingdom, I will then seek out the remaining cells to the north, and ensure that they will stand beside us when the time comes to strike."

"Now, all of you! I want you to double your efforts! By noon, it should be as though this encampment never existed!" The bull Faunus ordered, receiving salutes from each of those gathered. Turning to his lieutenant, his expression darkened, all the while Neopolitan silently watching, and more importantly, listening. "I have orders for you, Duane. There is a girl, one who was spotted at one of our protected businesses a few weeks ago, with hair and eyes like my own. Given how she has interfered with Torchwick, I would not put it past her to show up in Mountain Glenn once he has been delivered there. if you find her, I want her captured - alive - and brought to me. If I am right, she may be another of my siblings, and I will enlighten her to our cause."

Neopolitan's eyes narrowed at that; it sounded as though Taurus was speaking of Little Red, her father's annoying little nemesis who had seen him detained. She knew they were related, after his little outburst a few weeks ago sent her investigating, but Adam seemed to have drawn the wrong conclusion. Honestly, with how similar their color schemes seemed to be, what with the hair and the outfits (and, apparently, eyes), it was a little surprising that Adam hadn't realized sooner, but maybe that had to do with the absence of her in the press even after her clashes with Roman. Neo doubted that Adam would be able to persuade her against being such a goody two shoes, and even if he managed, she wasn't a Faunus as far as Neo could tell, so why would he want her?

The bulky Faunus gave Taurus a salute, before turning to some of the fresher faced recruits and barking some orders Neo tuned out. Following Adam, they arrived at the only Bullhead that wasn't filled to the brim with supplies, instead empty save a pilot, and painted with the Kingdom of Vale's emblem in the nose, as well as each wing. Once inside, the diminutive girl say across from Adam, while he gave her an uncomfortable smirk as the airship lifted off, beginning their journey to Vale.

"Fitting, isn't it?" He asked, presumably about his attire by the way he was showing it off. "This is what I should have had from the start, had my bastard father not abandoned me. To be descended from kings, and yet abandoned like some mangy dog! I've found others, you know, who were also abandoned. Yet they wouldn't see reason as I tried to bring them to my side!" A long, uncomfortable stretch of silence followed, Neo not daring to move an inch as the Faunus seemed to become more unhinged. "They didn't listen, so I had to silence them, of course, to make sure they would never be a threat to me or the White Fang."

"Now another shows up, finally the daughter he wanted, I suppose! Would she even recognize me, if I approached her? Would she acknowledge my rightful claim?" He was almost more muttering to himself than speaking to Neopolitan by now, but she still didn't want to risk looking away now. She needed him to save Roman. "They said she was human, but that can't be right. Father was seeking a Faunus heir to strengthen the blood. Surely she must be hiding her traits somehow, she saw the mark of protection and responded correctly to it, so she couldn't be human."

As his muttering quieted somewhat, Neopolitan let out a silent sigh of relief. The way he was obsessing over the (incorrect) relation that Little Red had to him left her more than a little uncomfortable, she'd have to bring it up with Roman once they'd freed him and Taurus was gone. For now, she was just grateful he'd finally toned down the rambling, and focused on clearing her mind for the job ahead.

* * *

Torchwick groaned as he stood up, slowly stretching his arms up as he took a deep breath. It hurt, breathing deeply, it felt like his body was on fire with each breath he took, but he needed to do his best. The constant "interrogations" he experienced had left him in a state of constant bruising, and his Aura hadn't been able to fully recover in days, as any time he seemed to be improving, the beating would start again. He supposed that was the price of pissing off one of Vale's Councilmen, particularly one that had a lot of influence with the police and Vale's defense. Becoming public enemy number one and branching out from theft to outright terrorism probably didn't endear him to anyone, either, but no need to focus on that right now.

Things had gotten worse in the past few weeks since he'd seen Neo, not that he'd ever tell her. He was proud of the little tyke but she could be really reckless when he was in danger, and the last thing he wanted was a bloodbath as she tried to get him out of prison. He was expecting another visit from August, soon, given that he'd yet to crack despite the numerous attempts to get him to speak. Sure, he was terrified of dying here because of the Councilman, but he was more afraid of the hell Cinder might put him through if he slipped up, or worse, what she might do to Neo. They had to continue doing their part, or they would be just another loose end for the Witch to clean up, and he knew they'd be nothing but ash if it came to that.

Hopefully this whole waiting game would end soon, but he wasn't banking on it. With a sigh, he started on what exercises he could manage with his wounds, doing his best to keep in shape despite the conditions he was in. Even if his main skill lay with his charisma, he still needed to be able to throw a good punch or two if he wanted to keep up his image if - no, when - he got out. It was just after an hour had passed that he heard the familiar sound of the door to the hallway leading to his cell open. Time to deal with August, most likely.

Standing back up, Roman put on his best smirk; presentation was important after all. He could hardly maintain the success he'd had at not breaking if he wasn't looking himself. Sauntering up to the small window on the door to his cell, Roman held his expression as his suspicions were confirmed, four armed prison guards entering the hallway, followed by August, as well as a diminutive guard he assumed to be Neo in disguise. 

"Alright, Torchwick, listen up!" The guard at the front of the group spoke up, the assistant to the warden, if he recalled correctly - he never really cared, outside of wanting the man dead, so he had never bothered to remember anything about him. "The good Councilman is here to see you, maybe if you're on good behavior, he'll give you a day or two of relaxation outside of our time spent together."

"Doubtful." Roman retorted dryly, rolling his eyes. He was a little worried about the look Neo was giving the man despite her disguise, but he was confident she wouldn't break her disguise, not when she'd risked so much to visit him. Hopefully she was here to tell him when they'd be getting out, though he'd have to make it through another session with August first. "Let's just get this over with, I'm a busy man, after all."

"Hah hah, of course. No way I'll let you out of our little games." The man chuckled, before he began the process of opening the door. Given the cell was originally meant for criminals with dangerous semblances, it took more than a couple seconds. 

"Tell me," August spoke up, earning a raised eyebrow from Torchwick, though the master thief quickly corrected it. He sounded… off. Similar to usual, but there was an edge to his voice that didn't feel right. "After we're done here, where might I find the detainment cells for the White Fang insurgents? I wish to… address them."

"Oh, of course, sir." The warden's assistant nodded. "We keep the animals, sorry, the Faunus caged in the lower cell block, I can take you there when we're done here."

"There's no need." The Councilman replied, before tilting his head slightly in an uncomfortable smile. Roman could swear he could see the air shimmer subtly around him similar to when Neo used her semblance, unrecognizable to all but those intimately familiar with her Overactive Imagination. "Tell me, what was your name again?"

"Uh, Sorrel Grey, sir." The guard awkwardly stood at attention, looking back at the Councilman as the door finished unlocking. "Are you sure you won't need any help? I'd be glad to assist in disciplining those animals."

Again, Roman saw something out of place, the way August's eye slightly twitched at the word "animal." The Councilman stepped forward slightly, bringing his right hand to his left hip. "I thank you for your service to the Kingdom of Vale, Sorrel Grey, but I'm afraid your services will no longer be needed."

The man opened his mouth to speak, and from the small window into the hallway from his door, Torchwick saw the air around August shimmer as he took on an uncharacteristic smirk. Oh, that looked familiar. A loud bang rang out as red filled Roman’s vision, the notorious thief stumbling backwards and onto the ground as he felt a sudden dampness on his face. The screaming began as Roman reached up to wipe his eyes, pulling back to find his hands now soaked with blood. 

So much for a stealthy breakout. Standing back up as the door opened, he found himself greeted by a rather impatient looking Neo and a grinning Adam Taurus. Not wanting to be caught on the back foot, Roman was the first to speak. “Well, that’s quite a way to make an entrance.” He announced, as though he hadn’t at all been shocked. “I wasn’t expecting you in person, Bully Boy, I thought you had more sense than to lead a mission like this.”

“Don’t delude yourself into thinking I’m doing this for you, thief.” The bull Faunus retorted, snarling as he sheathed his blade. Roman couldn’t help but wonder if the red steel used for it was intentional, a way to hide exactly how much killing he’d gotten up to. “I’m here to send a message, you’re just an added benefit.”

“Well, I suppose there’s no love lost between us, but I can work with that.” Roman shrugged, ignoring the pointed look Neo was giving him. "Look, I need to get my things from the warden, you need to free your spirited little pals, why don't we split up? You go to the lower cellblock and Neo can take me to the warden's office, we can see about bringing down the security and giving us a little distraction to escape with. Deal?"

"Fine." Taurus grunted, refusing to shake Roman's hand as he offered it. Looking over the carnage that filled the hallway, the bull Faunus gave a sinister grin, his right hand hovering over the hilt of his sword. "It's time to remind the Kingdoms  _ exactly  _ of who they should fear."

While Roman was certain that his role in whatever plans Cinder had kept him safe in the long term, he wasn’t entirely confident that someone as unhinged as Taurus would likely care about that at the moment. Looking over to Neo, the thief gave a nervous chuckle along with a shrug, the duo following after the Faunus as they exited the hallway. Roman did his best not to look at the mess left behind - at least Neo was clean about it.

* * *

With Roman out of his cell, Neopolitan wanted nothing more than to just escape with her dad and leave Adam to the prison, but she knew that would be a terrible idea. Taurus had left a dozen bloodied bodies across the floor in the brief time they'd been near him before splitting off, and she was positive that any attempt at betraying him would lead to the death of Roman, if not herself. She wasn't sure she could take him in a fair fight, and she'd already used up a lot of her Aura shielding his appearance with her semblance. Maybe if she caught him off guard, or had a full Aura, but even that wasn't a good enough safeguard against his semblance.

He had only used it once before they split up, but it was chilling to see, the way the light in the room seemed to drain away as the red in hir hair and on his outfit glowed, and he unleashed a single strike that had cut through four men as though they didn't even have Auras to guard them. The results were disgusting, to say the least. While Neopolitan was no stranger to killing, some might even say the exact opposite, she preferred less messy methods, the sort that was easier to clean up.

That was the point though, wasn't it? Adam wasn't after a quick clean up, just like with Tukson earlier, he wanted to send a message, one written in blood. 

Neo and Roman stood waiting in front of an elevator to the top floor, where the warden had his office, her semblance currently shielding them from view. With a pleasant chime, the doors opened and several more prison guards stormed out, rifles in hand, looking around cautiously for a moment before the one who looked to be in charge barked orders at them, and five of the six men stormed down the hallway, just past the notorious duo. 

The remaining guard was unluckier than his peers, not able to see the attack coming as Neopolitan flickered back into view, smirking at him as she smacked him backwards with Hush. He hit the wall hard, slumping down, unmoving, as Neo prodded him a few times with her umbrella, before giving her dad a proud smirk, which he answered with rolling eyes. 

Looking at the now unused rifle on the ground, then back at Roman, she tapped her foot impatiently while her dad gave a beleaguered sigh. "Yeah, yeah," he relented, grabbing the weapon as though it was some vile piece of trash, dusting it off gingerly. "It's no Melodic Cudgel, but I'll make due. The things we do for the kids we care about."

Neo stuck her tongue out at him for a moment, before resting her umbrella over her shoulder and skipping into the elevator. Roman followed after, tapping the button before inspecting the rifle a little more. "It's not bad, I guess. It just lacks a certain… flair that I prefer. Nothing stylish about it, all function over form." He pouted at the glare Neo was sending him, before giving her a resigned shrug. "Let's just get this going so I can use the proper sort of weaponry again."

Sometimes, Neopolitan really wasn't sure who exactly was the parent in their relationship, given how much of a brat her dad could be. As the elevator began to slow, she brought up the image that it was empty, resulting in several confused guards as the door opened and they stared at the empty elevator. That didn't last long, the illusion around Roman breaking as he let loose with the rifle, a hail of bullets slamming against the gathered guards' Auras. While none of them shattered, Neo just needed them weakened to take charge. 

With a sound like shattering glass, Neo appeared before them, thrusting Hush into the stomach of the man in front, before kicking him into the woman behind him. As the group scrambled to react, she flipped herself over the next guard, thrusting him against the ground as she wrapped Hush’s shaft around the neck of the last man standing. Holding tightly until his movement stopped, she let the body drop before nudging her head in the direction they needed to go.

"Ever the professional," Roman teased as they approached the warden's office, once again shrouded in her semblance. There weren't any other guards that they'd seen, yet, but that didn't surprise Neo, given the ruckus Taurus was kicking up down below. If her guess was correct, practically everyone who wasn't essential in an area had been sent to try stopping him, and neither of the thieves were lucky enough for the prison guards to actually succeed. "This it?"

Neo nodded, raising Hush to the door, extending the blade through the lock and tearing apart whatever mechanism might've been keeping them from getting inside. With that, Roman took point, doing away with any hint of subtlety as he kicked down the door, a sinister grin on his face while Neopolitan followed behind, innocently twirling Hush as though it was a harmless umbrella. 

"Mister Eisen!" Roman addressed the gaunt man fumbling for a weapon sitting at the desk in the center of the room, who seemed to pale even more than he had at the mention of his name. "I do believe you have some things of mine, and I'd like them back!" 

Just as the man neared the pistol on his desk, Roman fired at his hand. Only a few of the several bullets hit, but it was enough as a deterrent that the warden withdrew his hand, dull grey Aura crackling around him. "I wouldn't advise trying to play any games, unless you'd like to join so many of your guards as a lovely red smear on the wall."

"Look, Torchwick," the man grumbled, straightening up a little as he sit, as though he still had  _ any _ power in this room. Neo's eyes narrowed, noticing the slightest shift of movement in the arm that was still beneath the desk. She wasn't certain whether he was going for another weapon, or maybe a panic button, but either way, she would be ready, the grip she had on Hush tightening. "I might have taken this position to have an early retirement, but I serve the Kingdom of Vale, and-"

"Yes, yes, that's all interesting, a true patriot I'm sure." Roman waved his hand dismissively, before his eyes darted to Neopolitan. "Neo, we're on a tight schedule, if you could get things moving?"

"Now wait a-" Neo didn't allow the warden the pleasure of finishing his statement, flashing forward as she struck his neck with Hush's blunted end. He fell backwards, gasping for air despite his Aura, while Neopolitan grinned, extending her weapon's blade. Looking back towards Roman as she planted a foot firmly on Eisen's chest, the master thief gave a swift nod, and she ended any attempts of resistance. 

"Nicely done, Neo!" Cleaning off Hush's blade with the warden's jacket, Neo looked back at Roman, tapping her foot impatiently while she waited for him to get his things. "Right right, I know, we're on a time limit. See if you can't cause a little chaos while I find his keys."

At that request, Neopolitan gave a mischievous smirk, before twirling around to the deceased warden's desk, looking over his terminal to see what options were available. Vale had a bit of a bad history of not refurbishing old designs, and that was painfully present in their prisons, which still had a network that was entirely linked to the warden's office. She and Roman had exploited that on more than one occasion, but measures to improve the design were always held up by the Council. Given the mess that Taurus was making, she doubted that further measures would be stopped by bureaucratic nonsense, so she might as well make the most of it.

The first thing she did was unlock every cell in the facility; nothing like a good prison riot to help mask their escape, after all. Second, she sealed all the exits save the roof, they needed to keep the chaos contained if they were going to make a quick getaway. Last, but in her opinion, the best, she activated the sprinklers in the fire suppression system. While it was definitely somewhat for fun, it did serve a few purposes, mostly that it would make it hard for the guards to get good footing.

Satisfied that she'd done enough, Neo turned around to find Roman digging through the drawers of a cabinet, Melodic Cudgel gently rested over his right wrist. After a few moments, he let out an exaggerated groan, before kicking the cabinet and turning to face his daughter, giving her an over the top sigh. "She'll be fine," he announced, indicating his weapon, "but no luck in finding any of my ammunition. I guess you'll have to keep doing most of the work."

As if she wasn't going to be already. Neopolitan rolled her eyes, tapping her foot impatiently as she looked towards the door. "Yeah, yeah, you're right, kid." Roman relented, "we ought to get going. Bully boy going to meet us on the roof? Good. I don't want to see what sort of mess he's made downstairs."

With a nod, Neo skipped out the door, twirling Hush as she led Roman on the path to the roof.

* * *

Ruby smiled as she looked up from  _ The Third Crusade _ and watched Jaune successfully parry another strike from Pyrrha. Training with Cedar and Winter today had been cut short when General Ironwood requested their presence, and so her boyfriend and girlfriend decided to do some training in their usual spot on the roof of the first year dormitory. While Ruby couldn't say with certainty that Pyrrha was fighting at her fullest while she trained Jaune, she was certainly fighting harder than she had been when they started training. Looking back down at her place in the book, she was about to begin again when her scroll vibrated.

Then the spar came to an abrupt stop as she heard both Jaune and Pyrrha's scrolls vibrate as well. That was… weird. It couldn't just be a coincidence if it happened to all of them at practically the same time. Ruby checked her scroll and found a message from Professor Goodwitch, which had been sent to her entire team, ordering that they all return to their dorm rooms immediately, and remain there for the rest of the night.

"Um," she looked back at Jaune and Pyrrha, who were now approaching her with looks of concern mixed with confusion. "Did you two just get a message from Goodwitch, too? Asking you to return to your dorm?"

"Yeah, we did." Jaune confirmed, sounding more than a little worried. As he glanced at Pyrrha, Ruby could tell he was doing his best to keep calm, but he was on edge. "Do you think it's because of… the General's investigation? They didn't use a campus wide alert, so it must be something unique to our teams."

"That's probably what it is." Ruby nodded, finding herself frowning a little. She took a short breath, before offering her partners a reassuring smile. "I'm sure that we'll be told about it in the morning, but we should listen to Professor Goodwitch and get back to our dorms."

"That's probably for the best." Hearing the disappointment in Pyrrha's voice, Ruby reached out and grabbed her hand.

"Come on," Ruby smiled warmly at the pair, offering her other hand to Jaune. "We can say goodnight when we get to our rooms, until then let's at least stick together."

Unfortunately, as much as she wished it would last longer, the walk to their dorms was only a few minutes away. Ruby turned to look at Jaune and Pyrrha as they stopped at the door to her team's room, smiling shyly before bring them into a tight hug. "I'll see you two tomorrow, okay? I… I really like you both, but you already knew that. Just um… I'll be thinking of you tonight!"

"We'll be thinking of you, too." Pyrrha reassured as the trio's hug broke apart, leaning down to give Ruby a gentle kiss on the forehead. "Goodnight, Ruby."

Jaune chuckled at the display, though his cheeks went as red as Ruby was sure hers had. "We'll see you in the morning, okay? We can go to the gardens, if you want."

"That sounds nice." Ruby mumbled, her cheeks still feeling warm as she nodded sheepishly. The duo from Team JNPR departed, and the short redhead opened the door to her dorm, finding herself swept into a desperate embrace almost as soon as she stepped inside. "Um…"

"Sorry, sorry." Yang apologized, letting Ruby go. "I was just so worried! We got that message from Goodwitch when we were all in here, and then Weiss checked the news."

"The news?" Ruby's brow raised, looking over to her partner as the door shut. "What happened?"

"Ruby…" Even Weiss sounded a bit worried, which was rather concerning. "Torchwick broke out of prison."


	31. Introductions Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the aftermath of Torchwick's breakout, Ruby makes an interesting discovery, while Jaune and Pyrrha meet an unusual girl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been in a good mood for writing, at least, but unfortunately I don't have as much time to do it at the moment. That said, I've managed to get this done, and hopefully I'll have the next part out soon!

Ruby didn't sleep well. It wasn't that she was unable to sleep at all, and by some luck, she didn't find herself plagued by the nightmares she was dreading after hearing the bad news from Weiss the night before. No, she just didn't find herself able to truly get rested as she slept, and when she woke up to the sound of her scroll buzzing, she was more than a little tempted to ignore. 

Peeking one eye open, she at least found that it _was_ light outside, though the sun was evidently just rising. Checking her scroll, first for the time, 7:02am, then the message, Ruby frowned. Professor Goodwitch wanted her to report to the Headmaster's office at 8:00am on the dot, showered and well dressed. Showering was easy enough to do, but Ruby wasn't sure what she considered "well dressed" and merely donned her regular school uniform, before pinning her cloak around her neck, hiding slightly within it. 

She was hoping that maybe Jaune or Pyrrha would be outside waiting for her, but much to her surprise, it was actually Yang. She hadn't even noticed her sister was up, Brothers she must've been out of it if she hadn't seen Yang was out of bed. Giving a somewhat worried smile, she looked up at her big sister. "Hey Yang." She said softly, feeling a bit nervous. Clearly something was up if her sister was waiting on her. "Did you get a text from Professor Goodwitch as well?"

"Goodwitch? Nah." Yang shook her head dismissively, before reaching out and ruffling Ruby's hair. As she squirmed in disdain, her big sister gave a lighthearted laugh. "Dad sent me a message. Said that I needed to stick with you this morning, something about family business that he wanted to attend, but Signal needed him again."

"Dad messaged you?" Ruby was more than a little surprised, enough so that she stopped caring about her sister absolutely ruining her hair's halfhearted attempt at neatness. "That's… I was expecting this to be about Torchwick, not family stuff."

"Maybe it's connected?" Yang suggested with a small shrug. "It doesn't matter. I've got your back, sis."

"Thanks, Yang." Ruby mumbled sheepishly, smiling up at her big sister again as they shared a one armed embrace. "We should get going, shouldn't we?"

"Yeah." Her sister agreed with a hearty nod. "Lead the way, I'll be right behind you, Ruby."

Ruby returned the nod, and the two made their way out the dorms. It was still pretty early morning for most students on the campus, being not quite eight in the morning on a Sunday, but anyone they passed on their way to the CCT tower were acting… weird. There was a stiffness to them, like if they'd just been scolded by a parent for not being polite and proper.

The next hint that something was wrong, or at least, different, was as the sister duo neared the tower at the heart of the academy, and saw _them_. Standing at about eight feet tall, the machines had a bulky build to them, with heads that were shaped more like old helmets that fit more with a jousting tournament (her dad had taken her to see one, once, for her seventh birthday, back during her early obsession with knights). Their armor was red, though lined with gold, and each stood with the emblem of the Kingdom of Vale painted on their chests. They were armed with tall, double-sided glaives that had a faint glow to the backs of their blades, presumably some sort of Dust function. 

And then they kneeled at her. 

Ruby let out a confused squeak, while Yang pushed forward to put herself between the machines and her sister. After a few moments, her big sister relaxed, and turned towards the diminutive redhead. "I guess we know why people are acting so weird, right?" She mused, though the levity in her voice sounded a bit fake. "I guess with Torchwick out, Vale is upping security."

"Yeah…" Ruby nodded nervously, sticking close to her sister as their positions shifted from how they were walking before, Yang now taking the lead. Each time they passed another duo of the robots, they kneeled, and each time it happened, Ruby felt more uncomfortable than the last - especially after noticing they didn't offer the other students such artificial reverence. 

It didn't take too long to get to the CCT tower, but it felt like an eternity that got longer each time the robotic guards knelt down, which only got worse as Ruby noticed some students staring at her and Yang when the machines were kneeling. The tower was surrounded by the machines, including some that held weapons reminiscent of Coco's minigun, and Ruby made sure to use her semblance to avoid even more of the weird actions from them. 

Waiting inside was Professor Goodwitch, who actually seemed a little relieved to see Yang standing behind her once her sister caught up. Taking a short breath, the deputy headmaster's expression stiffened into seriousness, and she inspected Ruby and her sister for a moment. "Not as formal as might be appropriate, but that's hardly either of your fault. He didn't give us any time to prepare for this."

"Um… Professor Goodwitch, ma'am?" Ruby mumbled nervously, clinging to Yang slightly as she saw one of the other doors open. "What's going on? Are we in trouble?"

"No, Miss Rose, you are not in trouble." Professor Goodwitch reassured, "but events yesterday, Roman Torchwick's escape from prison, have accelerated something that your mother wished against. Unfortunately, it is out of our hands."

Out of their hands? Ruby felt her hands getting a bit clammy as her nervousness doubled. The sisters followed Professor Goodwitch to the elevator that would ascend to Professor Ozpin's office, and as the doors shut and the lift began, the short redhead finally spoke. "Professor Goodwitch, what's going on? With the robots, and dad saying this was family business?"

"Miss Rose… Do you know the history of the Kingdom of Vale?" Professor Goodwitch asked, sounding almost… defeated. That was even more worrying. "Particularly its monarchy?"

"Um, not much, ma'am. We went over it a little in Doctor Oobleck's class, but that was a while ago." Ruby admitted, ducking her head down sheepishly. "Pyrrha… acted a bit weird when we were reviewing it together."

"Do you know what the name of the royal family was?" Professor Goodwitch continued to lead her along, though by the way Yang's breathing shifted abruptly, Ruby got the impression her sister had figured things out first.

"R-Rhosyn, right?" She asked, the professor nodding in affirmative. "Why?"

"Do you know what the Aurora Rhosyn, the last heir, changed her last name to, after the Great War?"

"N-No ma'am." Well, she said no, but Aurora was _her_ middle name, and dad had always said she was named after her grandmother. She didn't think it was really possible, but… that was similar to her own last name. And Professor Ozpin said that the last princess had a son and a daughter before passing away, was… "Professor Goodwitch?"

Before the professor could answer the unasked question, the doors of the elevator opened with a delightful chime that felt painfully out of place at a moment like this, and the blonde woman led them into the headmaster's office. It looked a bit different inside, not because anything substantial had changed, but the windows were darkened with metal shutters, and two more of those robots from earlier were standing on the flanks of a somewhat familiar man. 

The robots were a little different, with large swords and shields, though the blades remained at their sides, and their paint was different, darker, and the helmet-heads were less like a jouster's and more like an old fashioned "bucket" helm, a faint blue glow behind the slots for eyes. The man between them was wearing a dark suit, a red hue that was almost black, his hair a crimson that seemed to darken at the roots. Bags were visible beneath his eyes, which were concealed with black sunglasses, and his posture was just… exhausted. 

"Ah, Miss Rose, thank you for joining us." Professor Ozpin spoke up from his desk, offering her what she thought might be a sympathetic smile? "Miss Xiao Long, thank you for coming in your father's stead."

"Y-Yes sir." Ruby mumbled sheepishly, doing her best to try standing tall despite the maelstrom of worrisome thoughts in her head. "You needed to see us?"

"You have a guest, Miss Rose." The professor motioned his head towards the suited man, who looked a bit displeased at being relegated to "guest" by the headmaster. "Given the sensitivity of this meeting, I thought it appropriate to have another member of your family here as well."

"Um…"

"Perhaps we should get it along, Ozpin?" The man in the dark suit asked, sounding a bit impatient. "We're just leaving her confused by talking around the issue."

"Very well." Professor Ozpin relented with a sigh. "Miss Rose, this is your uncle, Councilman August Rose, currently filling the seat for the royal family."

"I… have another uncle?" She finally asked, after a moment that felt like hours. Her eyes had widened with surprise, darting over the man, who responded by approaching, his arm raised to halt the robots from following. His expression changed from frustrated towards the headmaster to strangely warm… sympathetic. 

"Summer and I… became estranged, soon after she joined Beacon Academy." The Councilman explained. Ruby felt like she couldn't move. She had family, outside of the little group they had on Patch? "I do not blame your father for not reaching out, introducing you to me. Summer always hated growing up as we did, and I know she did not wish for you to experience the same childhood." His expression fell. "Unfortunately, it seems you had a far more similar childhood than she would've liked."

"You mean?" Ruby started, before clamping her mouth shut.

"Yes, we lost our mother when Summer was quite young. She always looked up to her, just like I'm sure you looked up to Summer." He said softly, as if fondly remembering something, before he looked over to Yang, his expression brightening. "This must be your older sister, Yang, right?"

"Uh, yes sir." Yang nodded sharply. "It's… good to meet you?"

"I'm sorry, this must be awkward for the both of you." Their newly introduced uncle lamented, before his expression fell. "Unfortunately, this isn't merely a social call. I would have honored my sister's wishes, but circumstance has forced my hand."

"I'm sure the both of you have heard that Roman Torchwick has escaped from prison yesterday." August explained, beginning to pace slightly as a frown grew on his face. "What wasn't released is that the White Fang were the ones who helped him escape. Given how involved you were with Torchwick's capture, I have moved to have Beacon secured by a unit of royal guard garrisoned at Caer Rhosyn, but Professor Ozpin insists that I should ask for your approval before doing so."

"I, um." Ruby didn't like being put on the spot, even if there thankfully wasn't a crowd of people at the moment staring at her. Her eyes darted over towards Professor Ozpin, and then towards Yang, before finally settling back on her uncle. "If they were here, they'd be here to protect _all_ the students, right? Not just me."

"Worried about everyone else, just like Summer." August chuckled, Ruby's cheeks warming at the comparison, her head ducking slightly. "Of course. While they are stationed here, they will provide twenty-four hour security for the entire campus, all of Beacon's students are under the crown's protection."

"I, um… I guess it would be okay, then." Ruby mumbled, looking downward. August gave her a proud smile, before turning to look at Professor Ozpin, she could've sworn she'd seen a flash of a smirk on his lips, but she dismissed it. He was just happy to help, that was all. "Was that all you needed, sir?"

"Please, call me Uncle August, at least when we are out of the prying eyes of the public." The tall man insisted, giving her another fond smile. "There are a few other things to discuss, namely, I would like to slowly introduce you to some of the customs you should be aware of, but also," he reached a hand into his jacket, pulling out a worn out looking book. "Mother's notebook, detailing our family's semblance. Doctor Oobleck is a colleague of mine in some archeological endeavors, and sent me word you might need it."

"Oh, um, thank you. Uncle August." Ruby squeaked out, accepting the book. It felt like it was ancient, and given that the woman who wrote it was alive during the Great War, she guessed that wasn't really that surprising. 

"It was my pleasure, really. I've longed for a chance to reconnect to Summer's daughter." His eyes darted towards Yang, before he clarified. "Daughters. We have so much to catch up on."

"Is this going to change anything for her?" Yang spoke up, Ruby looking up to her sister in surprise as lilac eyes narrowed slightly. "You're talking about bringing her into a life she wasn't a part of, and we've both seen how much of a toll the spotlight has taken on our friend Pyrrha. You're talking about introducing Ruby to customs, but that's not going to involve putting her in places she'll be uncomfortable with, will it?"

"I…" August hesitated, Ruby's eyes darting back to him, wide and curious. She wasn't expecting Yang to say something like that, and now that she was thinking about it, the thought of being the sort of celebrity Pyrrha was was rather nauseating. Her uncle's expression softened, and he offered a smile. "I'll endeavor to keep her from that part of our life for as long as possible, and if she's forced to attend anything she doesn't wish to, I'll be sure to be at her side keeping things from getting out of hand."

"Fine." Yang said after a moment, relaxing. "Sorry, I just… want to keep her safe."

"I understand." August nodded, before clearing his throat. "For now, I think that's all we needed to discuss with the headmaster. I assume you will respect Ruby's decision, Ozpin?"

"Of course." Ruby didn't miss the way her uncle seemed to treat the headmaster with a little less respect than she would've thought. "For now, might I advise using one of the private rooms in the CCT? Or perhaps one of the pavilions?"

"Yes, that sounds like an excellent idea." It almost sounded as though her uncle hated that Professor Ozpin's suggestion was a good one, but Ruby dismissed it. If her uncle was estranged from her mom after her mom went to Beacon, maybe he just didn't like the headmaster very much. "Which would you prefer, Ruby?"

"I, um, the pavilion?" She replied, not really sure what it mattered, but she liked the idea of somewhere with fresh air. 

"Then to the pavilion we go." August acquiesced. "Would you like Yang to join us?"

"Um, yes please." Ruby nodded, ducking her head down a little. "I-I know you're my uncle, but it's just… Yang's my sister, and we've both only just met you."

"That's quite understandable. Don't worry." August offered a warm smile. "We should get going then, right? Glynda, would you be so kind as to escort us there?"

"Certainly." Ruby jumped slightly on hearing Professor Goodwitch's voice. She'd totally forgotten the deputy headmaster was here. The four made their way into the elevator, which was more than a little cramped, especially when the two robots escorting her uncle joined them. 

* * *

Jaune let out a yawn as he stepped out of his team's dorm, Pyrrha just behind him. They were hoping to meet Ruby, but she'd been surprisingly silent when he tried to contact her on her scroll. Knocking on the door to Team RWBY's dorm, the duo were met by a rather annoyed looking Weiss Schnee, though thankfully she didn't seem angry at _them_ in particular. 

"Hello, Weiss!" Pyrrha spoke up, Jaune quietly thankful for his girlfriend's initiative. An irritable Weiss is not something he wanted to cross, and he was certain that anything he said would bother her. "I hope you're doing well today!"

"Good morning, Pyrrha." The Atlesian's eyes darted towards Jaune, and she rolled them at him. "Jaune. I'm doing well this morning, I assume you needed something?"

"Ah, well, yes." Pyrrha chuckled softly. Jaune couldn't help but smile at hearing her laughter, looking fondly at her as she spoke to Weiss. "We were wondering where Ruby was, but that doesn't mean we aren't happy to see you as well, Weiss. You're a friend of ours, too."

"I, um, I didn't mean to imply otherwise!" Weiss sputtered out, her cheeks flushing. Jaune had to hold a laugh back at that - it was an open secret that Weiss had a crush on Pyrrha early on in their attendance at Beacon, and it seemed it hadn't entirely faded even yet. "Sorry. Ruby received a message this morning from Professor Goodwitch asking her to go to the CCT, and since Yang isn't here either, I think she asked her to come along."

"Goodwitch asked for her?" Jaune finally spoke up, "that's weird. Did she say why?"

"No, she left a note." Weiss sighed loudly, before presenting Jaune a scroll. "And this. The dolt must have been in a hurry, she usually always keeps it on her. Can you get it to her when you find her?"

"Hah, yeah, sure thing." Jaune chuckled sheepishly, putting the scroll in his pocket. "Thanks for that, I was wondering why she hadn't been answering my messages, I guess that's why!" 

"Pyrrha, how can you put up with those dolts?" Weiss teased, which earned a chuckle from the tall redhead. 

"They grow on you. I suppose." Pyrrha replied, Jaune giving her a playful pout. "Thank you, Weiss. We'll let her know you were worried."

"I didn't say that!" Weiss insisted, her cheeks becoming a nice rosy hue, before she sighed, muttering as she closed the door. "Thank you."

"Have a good day!" Pyrrha called out at the shut door, before sharing a bemused look with Jaune. "We should get going! Hopefully Ruby is still at the CCT or nearby it."

"Yeah," Jaune nodded, holding Pyrrha's hand as the duo made their way out of the dormitory. 

Things outside were… weird. While there had been a few Atlesian patrols wandering the campus since the students from Atlas Academy arrived - accompanied by General Ironwood - Beacon was now filled to the brim with unfamiliar combat robots bearing Vale's emblem. While Jaune was looking around in curiosity, he felt Pyrrha's hand tighten around his. "Is something wrong?" 

"It's… nothing." Pyrrha replied after a moment's silence. Jaune frowned, but didn't press. As much as he wished Pyrrha would always be open about what made her uncomfortable, he knew that trying to force her to explain would just make her feel even worse, and he didn't want that. 

"Okay." Jaune gave her a smile, squeezing her hand gently. "Let's get going." Pyrrha nodded, and they slowly continued on their way to the CCT, passing by more of the combat robots. Many of the students were acting more than a little stunned as they passed, not at them, but at the unusual circumstances they'd all woken up to. 

"Do you know what they are?" Jaune finally asked, hopeful that wording the question that way wouldn't come across as prying about her earlier uncertainty. "Everyone is staring, and even I can tell that they aren't the usual Atlesian Knights that Atlas brought."

"Oh, well… I believe I recognize them, or, at least, what sort of model they are." Pyrrha admitted, looking a little grateful he was asking out of genuine curiosity. "My mentor, back in Argus, he was a veteran of the Faunus Rights Revolution, and he would sometimes tell me stories of back then, and show pictures. I believe that these are Valean Hunter-Killers, they were widely produced by a company from Vale during the revolution, housed out in Mountain Glenn. I had no idea there were any so recently made, though."

"They aren't recently made." A voice spoke up, somewhat familiar in tone, though the cadence was off. Jaune and Pyrrha jumped suddenly at the sudden interruption, turning around to see a girl standing at about five feet five inches in height, with dark red hair braided tightly and hung over her shoulder. She was wearing loose black jeans and a dark red hoodie, the top of her head covered by a mesh veil. "Pyrrha Nikos, seventeen, born September twenty-seventh, year sixty-two AVT. Top of class at Sanctum Academy. Four time champion of the Mistral Regional Tournament."

"Um…" Pyrrha started, only for the mysterious girl to shift towards Jaune, as though looking at him with scrutiny. 

"Jaune Arc." She began again, "seventeen, born February twenty-ninth, year sixty-three AVT. False transcripts for Pharos Academy, flagged but allowed to pass through. No meaningful combat experience before attending Beacon Academy. Marked for special interest by Professor Ozpin."

"Wait, what?" Jaune mumbled, before the strange girl stepped back, head tilted slightly to one side. "What do you mean they aren't made recently?"

"Jaune-" Pyrrha tried to speak up, but unfortunately their unexpected addition decided to answer before she got a chance.

"The VHK-50s aren't a recent model. They've merely been refurbished and given the Kingdom's colors." The girl announced, Jaune was sure by the lilt to her voice that her concealed eyes would be glimmering joyfully. It honestly sort of reminded him of his sister Indigo, whenever she was explaining the plot of whatever the latest book she'd read was. "I just finished restoring their armaments a week ago, very fortunate after last night. Father is speaking to Headmaster Ozpin about having them stationed across the campus for the foreseeable future."

"Wait!" Pyrrha finally managed to stop the girl before she could continue further. "Might you introduce yourself, seeing as you know who both of us are?"

"Oh. Father says I shouldn't introduce myself to strangers unless he's here with me." The girl stated plainly, causing Jaune to stare at her wide-eyed for a moment. "I am… a friend. Did c- did Ruby read the story I suggested?"

"The story you suggested?" Jaune mumbled, before realization crossed his face. "You're BR! The person who sent Ruby that weird message about the story, uh… Warrior in the Woods! The story with the silver eyes!"

"Yes." The now identified BR nodded, head tilting to the side once more as she looked over to Pyrrha. "Did she read it, then? Did it help at all?"

"Yes, she did, but how did you get the number to her scroll?" Pyrrha answered, the frown on her face a rather unfamiliar sight. While Jaune had seen her frown a few times, this was perhaps one of the only times he had ever seen his girlfriend look so… dangerous. 

"It was in Beacon's files, as are the numbers of every student." Wait, did that mean she had access to all of Beacon's files just at her whim? That would explain the strange way she "introduced" herself to the two of them, but the thought left Jaune a little uncomfortable.

"So, wait… was the fact that my transcripts were fake in the files?" Yes. he did ask that. It was important! If it was in the system the whole time, then all the stress he'd had about Cardin threatening to report him to the teachers. Not to mention… "Wait, what was that about being marked for special interest by Professor Ozpin?"

"Yes, they were listed as false in the files. They weren't bad quality forgeries, but each applicant is personally reviewed by the headmaster of the academy." BR explained with a shrug, starting to walk slowly towards the CCT, while Jaune and Pyrrha followed after. He didn't miss the way she avoided answering his other question, but he supposed it may be because there wasn't anything else to elaborate on. 

"So, uh, where are we going?" Jaune asked, giving Pyrrha a nervous smile as he tried not to get too concerned by what was going on. Yeah, it was weird, but that didn't necessarily mean malicious intent, right? Strangers are just friends he hadn't met.

"I am going to the CCT to meet father, assuming he doesn't alert me to a new location to go." BR stated, her voice a near monotone. "You are simply following me, I am unsure why. Are you going to the CCT as well?"

"I mean, yeah, we are, I guess." Jaune chuckled sheepishly, scratching at the back of his neck. "Pyrrha and I were hoping to meet up with Ruby, assuming she was free after whatever Professor Goodwitch needed."

"I see." She noted calmly, before shrugging. "Accompanying me will likely be fine, then. It is likely that Ruby would like to see you both."

"I guess so." Pyrrha agreed, though she shared a nervous look with Jaune. This was just… weird, and given some of the things BR had said, it was definitely a little unsettling. While Jaune was keeping a tentatively optimistic outlook, he could tell Pyrrha was far more suspicious of the shorter redhead. 

The pair followed the unusual girl for several minutes, before she came to an abrupt stop. Looking up, Jaune spotted Ruby in the distance, waving cheerfully towards her. It was only after he'd shouted out "Ruby" that he realized that she was looking a bit nervous. At her side was Yang, and a man he didn't recognize at first, before placing him as the man from the night they'd fought Torchwick and the Paladin. 

She said something to the man, before bursting into petals and slamming into Jaune and Pyrrha, hugging them tightly. "Hi Jaune! Hi Pyrrha!" She chirped cheerfully, looking up at the pair as the hug broke. Noticing the person beside them, her head tilted slightly to the side in curiosity, and it was like something clicked in Jaune's head. "Who's this?"

"Hello Ruby," BR said, before Jaune could explain, though he wasn't sure what to say given his sudden revelation, but their new acquaintance was quicker to confirm it. "My name is Braith. I'm your cousin. It's good to meet you. Are you done with your meeting with father?"

"My cousin?" Ruby squeaked out, blinking in awe, before turning to call back to Yang, who was still approaching with the man Jaune assumed was Ruby's uncle. "Yang! We have a cousin! Oh! Sorry, I shouldn't have changed who I was talking to like that. Um… it's nice to meet you, Braith?"

"Thank you. It's good to meet you." Huh, she'd already said that once, Jaune noted. "I am not Yang's cousin, though."

"Sure you are! You're my cousin, aren't you?" Ruby denied, offering a wide smile. "I know you might not be related, but it's like with my other uncle, Uncle Qrow! We aren't related by blood, but he's still family."

"That's… curious." Braith's head tilted to the side for a moment. "I will have to ask father about it."

"We can talk about it more later! Um, do you guys want to join us in the pavilions? I-If that's okay!" Ruby bumbled out as the tall man caught up with her. 

"Yes, I suppose that is fine." The man said, before he looked to Jaune and Pyrrha. Even though the man's eyes were obscured, Jaune got the feeling he was glaring at the two of them.

This might not be very fun.


	32. Introductions Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The introductions between Ruby and her extended family continue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know if it's just more post-viral stuff, since I know that can last a long time with Covid, or if I've gotten it again, but I feel absolutely wretched. I just got tested and will be getting results soon, hopefully it'll be good news not bad ; ;
> 
> Anyways, I hope you all enjoy the chapter, I'm so sorry for the wait.

"Well then," Ruby's uncle started, sitting across from Pyrrha and Jaune, beside Ruby and her cousin, Braith. Pyrrha hated that she felt so suspicious about the man, but there was something about him that was so unpleasantly familiar, that air of superiority that many of the noble caste in Mistral had when speaking with her at galas celebrating her victories in the tournament circuit. By the way Yang was sitting, the champion could at least tell she wasn't the only one at the table not entirely comfortable with the man. "I suppose I should introduce myself. You've all met my daughter, Braith."

"Uh, yes, sir. If that's okay." Jaune nodded, Pyrrha silently glad that her boyfriend was at least keeping himself as polite as he could be. The way that Ruby's uncle conducted himself, it reminded her far too much of her former agent in Mistral, how coercive he could be when she was younger and more naive. As much as Pyrrha hated to say it, even to herself, Ruby _was_ naive, and she could be misled by such deceitful people. "Would you like us to introduce ourselves, too?"

"No, that is fine. I've already taken the liberty of getting to know my niece's… associates." August replied, eyes barely glancing over Jaune before he settled on Pyrrha. "I am August Kyran Rose, Councilman for the royal seat of Vale's Council."

"It's good to meet you, sir." Pyrrha said calmly, bowing her head in a polite display, Jaune following soon after, his eyes darting between her and the man. She wasn't a fan of the way he referred to Jaune and herself, but knew that pressing on that would only cause further issues. "Am I right to assume that you were the reason Professor Goodwitch asked for Ruby this morning?"

"Now, now, no need for formalities." August offered a simple smile, folding his hands one above the other as he rested them on the table. Pyrrha's eyes briefly drifted over to his daughter, Braith, who seemed more preoccupied with a scroll and not actually paying any attention to the table, before returning to the main, who had still not removed his glasses. That was sort of odd. Both he and his daughter were concealing their eyes. "While I understand the importance of formality amidst the upper echelons of our society, we are among friends and family here, there is no need for such seriousness."

At this, Pyrrha noticed Ruby relax, and she decided to give her uncle the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps she was just too used to the conniving of the upper class in Mistral, Ruby's uncle hadn't made an effort to manipulate his niece, and hadn't even been in her life at all. While she was still somewhat suspicious of the man, the conversation began in earnest, mostly focused on questions about Ruby and her time at Beacon. How was she doing academically, who were all her friends. Simple questions, perhaps aimed at lowering all their guard before he mentioned anything difficult.

Then came the hard questions. Or rather, one question in particular, not difficult to answer but rather terrifying after such a calm and friendly conversation. August's voice dripping with a venom Pyrrha hadn't expected given how faux-formal the man had kept things despite his insistence that things not be serious. "So," he said, Pyrrha imagined his eyes narrowed behind his dark glasses as he looked at her and Jaune, "you two are dating my niece?"

"U-Uncle August!" Ruby squawked out, her cheeks a light pink, while Pyrrha coughed loudly. She hadn't expected him to be so bold about it, but there was nothing she could do about it now, deciding to take the initiative as she gave her girlfriend the most confident smile she could manage, putting a hand on Ruby's. After a moment, Jaune mirrored the action.

"Yes, sir." Pyrrha confirmed with the utmost conviction. Ruby looked embarrassed, not out of shame but just nervousness. "The three of us began dating a few weeks ago, just after the incident with the Paladin. I suppose confronting such a foe made Jaune and I realize how important Ruby was to us, when we were also coming to terms with how much we valued one another."

"I see." Her quick response seemed to have slightly mollified him, but it was clear he wasn't done with the questions. "And you understand the consequences that such a relationship might have?"

"Consequences?" Pyrrha frowned as Jaune sputtered out the word, her brow hardening. She had an idea of what he meant by "consequences," and she hated it. Things had been quiet for now, but that may have been because the trio hadn't made an effort to go on another date outside of Beacon.

"Yes," August's gaze settled back on Pyrrha, and it felt as though he was leering at her. "I won't repeat the slanderous terms used to describe her, but Summer never wanted Ruby in the public eye like that. Even Professor Ozpin had the foresight to keep her out of the news after her encounters with Torchwick."

"Seeing my niece described with such vile words, images of her plastered across Mistralan gossip rags, has been… displeasing." August continued coldly, his expression darkening. "Unfortunately, between that and Torchwick's untimely liberation, I'm afraid that Ruby may be pulled further into the life Summer had hoped she might avoid for her children, and with that, her image to the public is going to be something that must be managed with care."

"And how exactly do you plan to do that?" Yang spoke up, startling Pyrrha with the barely concealed hostility in her voice. "You said you weren't going to force Ruby into that sort of stuff, now you're saying that she's going to be a part of it no matter what."

"I told you that I would endeavour to keep her out of that life as much as I could, but that doesn't change that she is my sister's daughter by blood, and therefore a part of the royal family." August snapped back, before he exhaled slowly, as though to calm himself. "My apologies, I do not mean to lose my temper, but this is a situation _none_ of us wanted. As for Ruby's image, the first thing we can do is properly publicize your relationship, as to shoot down whatever wild rumors are afoot in Mistral. I believe that the best opportunity to do this would be the upcoming Vytal Dance, as it will be a semi-formal occasion but the press won't be allowed on campus yet. That should allow us control of the narrative, so to speak."

"Control the narrative?" Ruby repeated inquisitively, sounding more than a little hesitant. Noticing her discomfort, Pyrrha was quick to gently give a reassuring squeeze to her hand. "How?"

"Nothing serious. Just a few photos, a proper press release from her agent, perhaps." August did his best to reassure, relaxing as he focused back on Ruby. "We can work on something for our end of things after the Vytal Festival, but for now we need to get the Mistralan media placated, before they start to become more intrusive."

"Yes, that might work, at least in the short term." Pyrrha nodded, though her gaze was far more cautious as she looked at her girlfriend's uncle. She had wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt, but it seemed whatever mask he had briefly slipped, and that was all the confirmation she needed that she didn't want to trust the man. Perhaps he wasn't so vile as some of the self-serving members of Mistral's upper class, but he still acted in a manner that instinctively put her on guard. "At least with the more quality journalistic establishments of Mistral, that will bide them for a few months. The more… unscrupulous magazines are far more likely to try finding any hint of things to latch on."

"Yes, well, with any luck, my contacts in Mistral will be able to keep them in check." That sounded uncomfortably ominous, Pyrrha doing her best to keep a smile forced if only to keep from showing her discomfort with the man. Before he could continue, the quieted sound of a scroll vibrating interrupted, and Ruby's uncle took his out with a frown, before looking up to the rest of the table, quick to change to a more pleasant expression. "It seems our time has been cut short, Councilman Orin has need of me." Beginning to stand, he turned to his daughter, "Braith, you will activate the rest of the battalion, and then await me on the _Arainrhod_."

"Of course, father." It hadn't sounded like a question, and Braith responded to it as an order, Pyrrha noted. As the man departed, the veiled redhead turned to Ruby, her head slightly cocked to one side. "C- Ruby, would you like to join me? 

Before Yang could object, Pyrrha cleared her throat loudly, shooting the blonde an imploring look. "That sounds like a lovely idea," the champion agreed, giving Ruby a reassuring smile. "How about you two talk while the three of us chat a bit?"

"Yeah, okay!" Ruby agreed cheerfully, though she sent an inquisitive glance Pyrrha's way. With a nervous smile, Pyrrha did her best to convey nonverbally that she'd explain later, which seemed to satisfy the shorter girl. "Lead the way!" She chirped, as her cousin rose and she followed after.

"What was _that_ about?" Yang asked, frowning. 

"I wanted to talk to you and Jaune, about… your uncle." Pyrrha wasn't sure how to word things properly, she wanted to be polite, like always, but she knew that now wasn't a time for her usual attitude, so she fought it as best as she could. "I'm… concerned."

"Concerned?" Jaune spoke up, frowning at that. "What's wrong?"

"Not here." Pyrrha insisted. "Please, let's get somewhere a bit more… secure."

"Okay, okay. Don't worry." Yang gave the tall redhead a confident smirk, "I think I know of just the place to go."

* * *

Ruby followed behind her cousin in silence, not really sure what to do or say, and her cousin seemed not at all interested in saying anything either. Instead, they simply walked, Ruby's brow slightly furrowed all the while. After about ten minutes, give or take, they'd arrived at Beacon's airdocks, where one of Atlas' fleet was perpetually docked. Joining it was something Ruby hadn't seen outside of school books, though, and quite frankly she was a little bit giddy at the sight of it.

She couldn't recall the proper terminology of it off the top of her head, but docked on the opposite side of the docks, with more than a few confused and interested students gathered around, was an old Valean warship, from the Faunus Rights Revolution, the name _Arainrhod_ painted in silver on the side of the somewhat bulbous aircraft. While Atlas had preferred a more sleek, angular design for their airships following the Great War, Vale had instead gone further into the shapes that were common of the old zeppelin airships from the war. 

The _Arainrhod_ was long, slightly dwarfing the Atlesian airship across from it, and definitely stockier. Ruby could spot several inactive missile pods dotting the top, as well as a few point defense cannons, but from the looks of things, it wasn't really intended for air combat. Instead, going off what her uncle had instructed, she guessed that it was intended for transport, and had been focused more on defensive capabilities than assault. 

Ruby followed behind as Braith ratherly curtly parted the students blocking their way to the ship, and became rather immediately aware of how curious her fellow huntsmen trainees were as eyes focused on her and her cousin. Coming to a stop at the base of the airship, her cousin took the scroll from her pocket and entered something, the vessel coming to life, so to speak, with a loud groan of metal shifting. 

A ramp slowly descended from its base, and Braith beckoned that Ruby follow her, the shorter girl ducking her head sheepishly as she accompanied her cousin inside the airship. It was rather drab, in all honesty, lacking any sort of fanciful flare in favor of a more strictly function over form. The interior paint was a bleak grey, but her cousin didn't seem to mind, so Ruby pushed on silently, pouting to herself as she tried to think of something to say. 

"So, um…" Ruby mumbled as she followed her cousin into a small room that was mostly taken up by a grandiose looking computer system. "What did you want to talk about?"

"Just a moment." Braith replied blandly as she worked away on something on the screen, presumably activating the battalion as her father had instructed. Ruby pouted again, but nodded, not wanting to be rude. After a couple minutes, Braith pulled out her scroll, and then in another moment, Ruby felt hers vibrate in her pocket. Taking it out, she found herself rather surprised. 

_BR: Here._

"Huh?" She mumbled aloud, brow raised as she looked up to her cousin, who seemed to be giving her an expecting look, or at least, that's what she assumed it was behind the veil that covered her eyes. 

_BR: Easier to talk here._

"Oh." Ruby paused for a moment longer before turning down to her scroll and typing away.

_RR: Is it better if I talk here, too?_

_BR: It would be, yes._

_RR: So, um, what did you want to do?_

_BR: Did you read the story I recommended?_

_RR: Story you recommended?_

"Wait!" Ruby blurted out, looking up with some surprise. "Braith… Rose… BR! You're… You're the one who sent me that weird message!"

_BR: I apologize. I merely wished to provide assistance after your encounter with Roman Torchwick._

Her attention drawn back to the scroll, Ruby flushed with embarrassment at her outburst, before feeling a bit guilty at what she'd said. 

_RR: You shouldn't apologize!!! Thank you a ton for trying to help!_

_BR: There is no need to thank me. Father had me read it, once, and I assumed it would provide assistance for you. The thanks should go to him._

Ruby frowned slightly, before shaking her head and offering her cousin a smile, though Braith made no indication that she had noticed at all. She understood that ever present desire to deflect praise, it was the same sort of thing she often felt. Even if her cousin was different than her, they still had some similarities, and that was really nice.

_RR: You still took the initiative to contact me! How did you do that, anyways?_

_BR: Father delegates a number of his responsibilities to me, and as such I have access to his Council identification, and was able to bypass Beacon's scroll securities through that._

_BR: It is likely that Professor Ozpin realized the issue, as he had your new scroll designed with higher restrictions._

_RR: Wait, you can do that?_

_BR: Yes, I can, but it is irrelevant. The only scroll information I had interest in accessing was yours._

_BR: Did the story help at all?_

Ruby furrowed her brow, not missing the way that Braith completely pushed past her question. Well, maybe that wasn't the best way of putting it. She didn't find any malice in her cousin's actions, rather, she felt Braith simply had a very different mindset than herself, and it likely hadn't occurred to her that Ruby wanted more information. While she was still curious, she decided to dismiss it for now and respond.

_RR: I guess it sort of did? It told me my eyes were important, but I'm still not really sure why. Was the woman the one who made the white light that killed the Grimm?_

_BR: It is very likely that is the case. There was a time that father was very interested in the study of silver eyes. He said that the Rose family used to be known for green eyes, not silver, back when we were still the Rhosyn dynasty._

_BR: I am unsure of the significance of silver eyes, but father spent years trying to understand before he finally gave up and returned to focusing on the Kingdom's welfare._

_RR: Well, then, do you have any other ideas for what to read? Because just that story didn't help all that much other than telling me my eyes are weird._

_BR: I can make inquiries, look through the things father has collected. I will have to return to do maintenance on the battalion in about a month, if I find anything, I can deliver it then._

_BR: I am done at this station, if you will follow me, you may watch as I deploy the rest of my children._

_RR: Your children? The robots outside?_

_BR: Yes. Father brought them to me, broken and ruined. I rebuilt them, improved them. Made them mine._

Ruby was going to ask for clarification, but Braith began walking at the room in silence, and so she followed behind curiously. They passed through several more dim hallways, Ruby not sure why lighting hadn't been one of the focuses for the design, but decided against commenting on it since her cousin expressed discomfort with speaking verbally. 

After a short descent on a stairway, the duo entered a large, dimly lit room. While Ruby couldn't make out her surroundings very well, she could tell that this room was filled to the brim with something, presumably the robots that Braith had mentioned. "Um, Braith?" Ruby finally spoke up, tired of squinting to try and make out the room. "Why is it so dark?"

"Oh. My apologies." Braith replied monotonously, before tapping away on her scroll. After a few seconds, Ruby could faintly hear the sound of another generator activating, and things suddenly became a lot brighter. "I forgot that you were not a Faunus, so I assumed you were able to see."

"You're a Faunus?" Ruby asked, leaning a little closer as her eyes adjusted. She didn't notice any traits that would indicate her cousin was a Faunus, but she didn't think it was really appropriate to ask.

"Yes." Braith stated plainly, approaching a console and starting to do something on it Ruby couldn't really make out. After a moment, Ruby felt her scroll vibrate in her hand and silently scolded herself for making Braith speak vocally when she wasn't comfortable with that. 

_BR:_ _Father always wanted a daughter with Faunus traits. He believed that it was necessary to return our bloodline to the proper state._

_RR: Proper state?_

_BR: I am unsure. He did not reveal all to me, and I do not know whether he told my mother, she did not survive my birth._

Oh. That was… that was painfully familiar, maybe not a perfect match of circumstances, but unfortunately relatable nonetheless. Taking a deep breath, Ruby strode forward, giving her cousin a hug; after a moment, Braith reciprocated, though her movements were somewhat rigid. "Is something wrong?" Her cousin asked, her normal monotone tinted with a questioning lilt. 

"I- what? No, Braith, I…" Ruby stumbled to find the right words, before she stepped back and tried to give her cousin a warm smile, though it didn't seem to have the same way that Yang's would work for her. "I know what it's like to grow up without a mom, if… if you ever want to talk."

"No. It's fine." Braith plainly stated, leaving Ruby flabbergasted. She told herself that her cousin simply coped with things differently than herself, and maybe having no siblings meant that she never really grew to want to talk like she had? Ruby wasn't really sure, but she accepted her cousin's response, even if it wasn't what she'd expected. 

Ruby ended the embrace, giving Braith another smile, if only for herself. "Sorry, we, um, we can go back to using the scrolls to chat." She mumbled apologetically, scratching the back of her neck as she pulled out her scroll once more, barely unlocking it before it vibrated once more.

_BR: Did you need anything else? I am happy to have had a chance to meet you, and we can speak more now that I have access to your scroll ID again._

_RR: If you want, you can tell me more about the robots. You called them your children so I bet they're really cool!_

_BR: I don't mind explaining. There are three primary models of VHK-50s, the close range focused VHK-50As with double sided glaives lined with Lightning Dust, the medium ranged VHK-50Gs carry five thousand rounds of basic ammunition to use with a gatling cannon, and the defensive focused VHK-50Ks with a wide single-edged sword and tower shield._

Braith continued explaining over text while activating the rest of the battalion, Ruby eagerly absorbing whatever information she could. She was still getting used to her cousin, but it was nice to get familiar with the older girl. 

* * *

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Yang asked, brow raised as she gave a skeptic look towards the duo from Team JNPR.

"Um, where exactly are we?" Jaune mumbled an interruption, looking around nervously. Yang had led Pyrrha and the other blonde out to a somewhat decrepit looking building on the southern end of the campus, near the cliffs that they were launched into the Emerald Forest from during initiation. It was out of the way enough that none of the not yet students had actually spotted it, and that might've been because of the rather sizable overgrowth that surrounded it. 

"The old Plant Sciences building, back before Professor Peach started working here." Yang explained, tapping her foot in frustrated impatience. She understood that this place was weird, and maybe a little bit ominous, but they needed somewhere out of the way. "Dad had to visit the academy a couple times when I was younger and took me along. Ruby would train with our uncle, our _better_ uncle, Uncle Qrow."

"Professor Peach is relatively new to the academy, then?" Pyrrha spoke up, though it seemed like she was trying to get the discussion going so she could get to the part Yang was actually interested. "I suppose that makes sense, the gardens have always looked more recent than other parts of the campus."

"Yeah," Yang nodded in confirmation. "There aren't working cameras here, I've scoped it out a couple times when I needed to," _brood,_ she thought to herself, before vocalizing something more reasonable, "take a little time for myself."

"I guess that'd be a good reason why we're here." Jaune chuckled nervously, before his eyes darted towards Pyrrha. "So, um, yeah, like Yang asked, what's up, Pyrrha?" 

"I'm sorry," the taller girl insisted quickly. Yang frowned; was she apologizing for Jaune's behavior, or just because it was a nervous tick. "I don't trust your uncle - your new uncle, I mean."

"Don't know why you're apologizing for that." Yang said with a shrug, giving the taller girl an indifferent frown. "I don't really like him, either. At first he seemed okay, and I don't think he's like… a sleazebag or anything, but I don't trust him. Something about him is just wrong."

"Yes, his mask seemed to have slipped up a bit at the end." Pyrrha agreed, frowning as her eyes drifted towards the ground. "He reminds me a little of some of the upper crust of Mistral, how they'd try to worm their ways into my and my mothers' good graces with honeyed words and promises."

"So why didn't you want to tell Ruby?" Jaune asked, before he raised his arms up in a surrendering position as Yang's eyes darted towards him. "I'm not disagreeing! I just… I don't know, but like, I don't have experience with that kind of stuff, but Pyrrha does, so I'll stick with her on this. Why don't you want Ruby to know, though?"

"She just found out about this part of her family," Pyrrha replied softly, fingers nervously playing at the edge of her skirt. "I don't think she would react well to us acting so suspicious of her maternal uncle just after meeting him. I think caution is necessary in a situation like this."

"I agree," Yang admitted, shooting Pyrrha a reassuring nod. "I don't like hiding things from her, and in any other situation I'd say we shouldn't, but she just found this part of her family, and she's always wanted a bigger family. She's asked in more than one occasion whether she had any family on mom's side, so this is a big deal for her. I'm sure she'd look right over a lot of suspicious stuff and not even realize because she's so happy."

"Yes, I'd picked up on that." Pyrrha nodded, still frowning. "She was acting like she felt the same way I did when I realized that Jaune didn't realize who I am." The boy in question chuckled sheepishly. "After so long with things stuck in one way, it was such a nice experience to have something against the norm."

"Yeah, that sounds about right." Yang sighed, stretching out her arms casually. "Look, there's not much we can really do about it right now, but you're right, and the three of us need to keep an eye on the situation."

"We will." Jaune agreed immediately, sounding surprisingly confident for someone with a nickname like "Vomit Boy," which earned a raised brow from Yang. "Look, I don't see it as well as you and Pyrrha do, but that doesn't mean I won't do my part. Ruby is important, to all of us, she's your sister, and our girlfriend. I'm not going to sit by when I can help."

"That's a wonderful attitude to take, Jaune." Pyrrha said with a soft smile, which Yang could only describe as "lovestruck." The Invincible Girl then looked to Yang. "We should meet up once a week out here, assuming the new security doesn't occupy the area. We can try to discuss anything suspicious we've noticed, and plan out ways to help Ruby. There's not a lot we can do to prepare her for this, but I know I'll do everything I can, and I'm sure the two of you will as well."

"That sounds like a plan." Yang offered her hand with a grin. After a moment of hesitation, Pyrrha took it, giving a solid shake. "Right, now let's get out of here. My nose always gets irritated by the air in here."


	33. Fraying Nerves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the introduction of the Valean royal guard to Beacon Academy, both students and teachers are uneasy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! I'm actually alive, somehow! I was lucky enough not to have Covid for a second time, but unfortunately that means I have my yearly malaise that leaves me sick through the winter instead.
> 
> I'm so sorry for the wait, things offline have just really not been going my way. We're moving across the country (and continent) soon and it's been a whole pile of stress. Hopefully I'll be able to pick up my pace now that we have an actual approximate date.
> 
> I hope everyone has a lovely new year and enjoys the chapter. It's not my best, but it's something!
> 
> A slight content warning, Adam is involved slightly in the final section, in his usual gross self, so if that makes you uncomfortable feel free to skip it.

“What the hell is going on, Ozpin!” The aforementioned headmaster of Beacon Academy remained passive as his colleague shouted loudly, expression unchanging as James stared at him from across his desk.

“What seems to be the issue, James?” He asked calmly, taking a sip from his cup of cocoa as though he had absolutely no idea what might’ve been wrong, though he was very certain he knew what had earned his friend’s ire today. It was hardly as though it hadn’t earned his own silent frustration.

“Don’t play coy with me, Ozpin!” James demanded, slamming his hands down on Ozpin’s desk, the professor frowning slightly at the visible dent the General left behind. On realizing the extent of his outburst, James had the decency to look a little ashamed, but Ozpin didn’t blame him. Glynda might when she was fixing it later, but that’d be just another on the pile of things she blamed the General for. She never held them against him for long. “After-” James cut himself to take a deep breath. “After all the grief you and Glynda gave me for bringing my troops to Vale, to Beacon, I wake up and find the academy crawling with at least one hundred Valean Hunter-Killers. I thought you wanted subtlety.”

“I would ask that you try to think rationally about this before assuming I am undermining you, James. I’ve already agreed to you bringing Specialists from Atlas.” Ozpin retorted, his voice raising ever so slightly. “I had little choice in the matter. Councilman Rose has elected to deploy a unit of the royal guard to “protect” the current heir to the throne.”

“Seeing as Beacon Academy is a part of the Kingdom of Vale, I had no right to deny the Council in this matter. The most I was able to get was asking for Miss Rose’s permission before they were deployed in full, but August was able to persuade her easily enough.” Ozpin continued, frowning slightly. “I fear Miss Rose’s desire to protect people has worked against us in this matter. She was willing if they protected all students.”

“I wouldn’t exactly say that’s a bad thing, Oz.” James retorted, having calmed himself down more. “I think it’s admirable that she wishes to keep the students here safe, it’s a mindset I share with her. I know you think that I am too quick to wield the might of Atlas’ military, but I do so with the hope to protect the people of Remnant.”

“I know you do, James.” Ozpin replied softly, sighing. “Unfortunately, this is not a war we can win through such overt actions as the marching of armies. You will have to reach out to the Council to coordinate things with Councilman August so that there aren’t any… unfortunate incidents.”

“Of course, I’ll see to it that we open a dialogue tomorrow.” James nodded, before his expression fell slightly. “Is this going to affect our security measures for Fall?”

“It shouldn’t, but just in case, I’ve begun narrowing down candidates.” Ozpin explained, glad that his ally was taking this as seriously as it should be. “I’ve had to strike Miss Rose from the list due to recent developments, of course. With that, I’ve had to remove all of Team RWBY from the list.”

Ruby had been a rather promising candidate, but with August no doubt planning on pulling her more into the spotlight, there was no way they could risk having such a publicly known Maiden. Miss Schnee was stricken for similar reasons, given she was still intent on becoming the president of the SDC when all was said and done, and while Miss Belladonna was a tempting candidate, he feared her past would lead to too many complications. Miss Xiao Long, of course, was an immediate disqualification. He couldn’t risk her running off as her mother had, but with the Maiden power’s in tow. Better to have her serve as a guardian for her sister, now more than ever.

“And are you still unwilling to look at candidates from Atlas?” James asked, “surely having a larger pool of options would-”

“I would prefer to keep things to just Beacon for now, James.” Ozpin was quick to clarify. “Atlas already has Fria to take care of, and we can’t risk the suspicion of pulling a student away from their comrades so suddenly and bringing them to Vale.”

"If you're certain." James didn't sound entirely satisfied with that answer, but Ozpin knew he could count on his colleague to accept it nonetheless. "While I'm here, we should discuss our plans for what to do next regarding the White Fang."

"Yes, it would be rather prudent that we properly prepare. Although the Dust robberies had already come to a slow before Torchwick was… temporarily detained, we still have little concrete information on where the Dust is being held." The headmaster nodded, pursing his lips slightly. "Have you had any luck with narrowing down a location in the southeast?"

"Nothing conclusive." James reported with a sigh. "A few of the smaller villages have reported seeing unmarked bullheads, but we haven't been able to pin down what town they've been hiding out in."

"There are many possible villages to choose from, but…" Ozpin tapped his scroll, projecting a map of the city of Vale and its surrounding region. "Perhaps we are looking in the wrong place."

"What are you thinking, then?" James asked, brow raising as Ozpin zoomed in towards the southern mountain range.

"Mountain Glenn was abandoned almost two decades ago. While it was overrun with Grimm at the time, it's been long enough many of the stragglers should have dispersed, and…" Ozpin frowned as the thought crossed his mind. "If any of the White Fang truly are working for  _ her _ , they would be in no danger of lingering Grimm."

"Oz, I know you don't agree with my condemnation of the entire movement, but I'm certain that some of their leadership is under her sway." James insisted, the headmaster remaining passive as his friend continued. "What other reason would they have for causing this chaos? I'm sure if you just had Qrow-"

"Qrow is busy investigating the assailant of the Fall Maiden, James." Ozpin cut the general off, frowning slightly. "I want you to send someone to investigate Mountain Glenn, but subtlety is key here. We cannot risk them scattering to the wind."

"And if we find evidence of them?"

"Then we will plan a proper scouting mission to determine what their plans are and how to stop them. We cannot afford to blunder in blindly."

"Fine." James agreed bluntly, sighing loudly. "And if Adam Taurus is there?"

"You were telling me you believed your Specialists would be capable of detaining him." Ozpin replied with the slightest hint of a smirk. "We can send Specialists Reed and Schnee alongside a team for more extensive searching if we find it necessary."

"I'll defer to you on this, Oz." James agreed, clearly reluctant. As much as Ozpin admired his friend's determination to fight against their shared foe and her agents, he could be a bit  _ too _ eager at times, the fleet he'd brought along and accompanied rather grandiose evidence of this. His heart was in the right place, though. "I'm going to go, I'll need to brief Specialists Reed and Schnee about this latest development. Have a good day, Oz… and… sorry, about the outburst earlier."

"It's fine, James." Ozpin dismissed the apology, the slightest hint of a smile on his lips as he brought his mug up for another drink. "Have a good day."

With James gone, the headmaster sighed, a frown on his lips as he pulled up the student profile for Velvet Scarlatina.

* * *

Blake let out a tired groan as she stretched out her arms, then rubbing her eyes as she sat up. It was… quiet. And  _ bright _ . “What time is it?” She mumbled to herself as she gathered her bearings.

“It’s almost eleven.” Blake was a little surprised to see it was Weiss who’d responded. Eleven? That was late. Usually Yang or Ruby had made some sort of ruckus by now that’d see her awake, but looking around slowly, she couldn’t find either of them in the dorm room. 

“Where’s Yang? Or Ruby?” The Faunus tiredly asked, reluctantly standing up with a yawn.

“Something came up, Ruby got a message from Professor Goodwitch.” Weiss explained, though going by the lack of details, Blake guessed that she didn’t know all that much about what had actually happened, either. “Yang went with her.”

“Do you have any idea what it was about?” Blake grumbled, yawning again. Weiss was standing near the window, so the Faunus decided to join her teammate, who was currently in the middle of a rather serious frown.

“No, but if I had to guess, it probably has something to do with that.” Weiss replied, Blake’s eyes widening as she got a look at what her friend was looking at so dourly. The Faunus had already felt a little on edge with the presence of Atlas’ military at Beacon Academy, and now there were dozens of Valean combat robots patrolling the campus. She had never seen one in person, but she remembered seeing pictures back when she lived in Kuo Kuana, machines that were popularized during the Faunus Right’s Revolution. Seeing so many of them now was more than a little unsettling, and she was quick to understand Weiss’ displeasure. 

“I… has there been any word on what those things are doing here?” Blake asked hesitantly, joining her teammate in frowning as she nervously stared out the window. 

“Professor Goodwitch sent out a message to all students.” Weiss explained, her expression not lightening at all. “Apparently thanks to Torchwick’s break out last night, Vale’s Council has approved an emergency measure to station part of the Kingdom’s royal guard at Beacon Academy for the time being.”

“The royal guard?” To be entirely honest, Blake wasn’t even aware that Vale  _ had _ a royal guard, so the idea that they had been deployed to the academy would have felt absurd if it hadn't happened. Not only that, but Vale already had the VDF (Vale Defense Force) in cases of emergency that the police couldn't handle, so the fact that they hadn't been deployed in favor of some host of robots that apparently belonged to the royal guard was unnerving. "Does Vale even have a royal family anymore?"

"You're just as useless as Ruby when it comes to paying attention to class, aren't you." Weiss groaned, though Blake could tell it was somewhat affectionate, her friend just had a prickly way of interacting with people. "We had a report on the royal family last semester, remember? The Rhosyn Dynasty was survived through the youngest daughter of the last king of Vale. They have a permanent seat on Vale's Council, the only of the Four Kingdoms to have a stipulation like that, while Mistral and Mantle's royal families ceded all their power."

"In my defense, uh… things were still a little rocky back then?" Blake gave a nervous chuckle, scratching her arm sheepishly. She had absolutely no recollection of the project Weiss was talking about, but it would've been just after she'd run away, and she really hadn't gotten back on her feet academically until the new semester started. Velvet had to scold her that she'd be repeating Oobleck's class like the rabbit Faunus was if she wasn't careful. "I guess it makes sense that they'd have a royal guard, then, but I don't understand why they're here, or why they're robots."

"I believe the idea was to have soldiers who would be unwaveringly loyal. They operate on a closed system unlike Atlesian Knights." Weiss explained, Blake a bit curious how she knew that, though she didn't want to interrupt her friend to ask. "As for why they're here… I'm not sure. I don't think that Professor Ozpin would've requested them, but maybe he did. It obviously has to do with a perceived lack of security from at least one person's perspective."

"Still, I just feel uncomfortable with a bunch of autonomous soldiers guarding the academy." Blake said, finally returning to her bed with another yawn, sitting down and motioning that the heiress could join her if she wanted. It was hard to explain, but the idea of an entirely inhuman force of unfeeling machines being used as guards made the Faunus feel particularly on edge. Hopefully that would pass in time, given it looked as though they'd be around for a while. "At least General Ironwood still has actual troops involved with his presence on the campus. I don't have a lot of… positive experience with the Atlesian military, but they're at least living people, capable of making their own choices."

"I forget that people from the other Kingdoms aren't so used to the automated guards as Atlesians are." Weiss commented as she took a seat beside Blake. It was clear she was hesitant to sit too close, but that was okay with the Faunus. Blake was aware neither of them were the best at physical affection, platonic or otherwise, and she wasn't anymore interested in pushing that than Weiss was. "Back home, most of the security is automated, unless your family is willing to pay for private security, or they already have a private military attached to their company like the SDC does."

"It's just… important to me, that there are actual people involved, not robots answering to the orders of a single man or woman." Blake explained, frowning slightly as her mind drifted towards the White Fang and how so many of her brothers and sisters seemed so willing to act without questioning their orders. "When soldiers are given orders to do something awful, at least some of them will question what they've been asked, maybe even act against it. Machines don't have that liberty. If I wasn't able to question Adam's actions, I would have happily allowed him to bomb that train… I just wish I had questioned his motivations sooner."

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Blake." Weiss insisted, the Faunus caught off guard by the softness of her friend's voice. "We… we all have regrets like that. I know I wish more than anything that I could stand up to my father… that I could have seen the harm he was doing more clearly; even when I already despised him, I bought into his rhetoric about how the company was wrongly blamed by the White Fang… his idea that Faunus are lesser." A small sigh escaped from Weiss's lips, almost inaudible if not for Blake's improved hearing. "At least you've escaped him now, right?" 

"You will, too, Weiss." Blake replied softly, giving her friend as best of an encouraging smile as she could manage. Before the Atlesian could reply, both of their scrolls chimed, and Blake looked to see what they'd received. "It looks like Ruby wants us to meet up with her and Yang for lunch at noon, so we had better get ready."

"I think you mean  _ you _ had better get ready. I already saw to it that I'm ready for the day." Weiss teased, standing up from the bunk. "You go take a shower, I'll let them know that we're on the way. I'm sure that Team JNPR will be there as well, so don't worry about getting dressed up fancy."

"All right." Blake chuckled, standing up and making her way to the bathroom. "Thanks, Weiss. For talking with me."

"There's no need to thank me, now hurry up!" Despite the haughty response, Blake smiled slightly. Of all her teammates, the friendship she had with Weiss was the one she worried most about, so it was nice to see things were improving between them.

* * *

Mountain Glenn was, in a word, dreary. Dull, dreadful and bleak were other good descriptors. Nonetheless, that wasn't what had Neopolitan on edge at the moment, no, it was the way that the Grimm seemed keen to avoid their growing set up in the ruins of the abandoned city. She knew that Cinder had some sort of unnatural power when it came to the Grimm, but it had even extended to the point that in her absence, they still remained mostly docile. Currently, the White Fang had set themselves up in a large abandoned building - perhaps a mall at one point? - while they were clearing out a larger section below the city. 

For the most part, with Roman off antagonizing the crew bringing the remaining stolen Atlesian Paladins in, the diminutive girl found herself left alone. She didn't mind, honestly, however it  _ was _ getting rather boring sitting around with nothing to do. Sitting up with a sigh, she decided upon a stroll through their makeshift headquarters. 

Looking around the dilapidated structure, she confirmed her earlier assessment that it was in fact a formal mall. One of the places she and Roman had hit when she was younger had been located in a mall of similar design, probably the same architect or something. Some of the White Fang who weren't clearing things underground were hard at work stripping what supplies they could from the long unattended shops; nothing in the way of foodstuffs, but some Dust that hadn't been retrieved in time before the city was abandoned, as well as metal and other more mundane materials that they'd need for repairing the rail to Vale.

Soon enough, she found herself nearing Adam's so-called "office", one of the larger, more structurally sound former storefronts (humble was not a word she would use to describe him) a floor below where Neopolitan had been. Pursing her lips, she pondered what Roman would want her to do, before slowly creeping her way closer to the room, that she might get a better chance at listening in, take a look inside.

She had almost peeked inside before she heard the sound of muffled footsteps approaching, and hid herself with her semblance. Staying as still as she could to avoid disturbing her illusion, though more out of habit than necessity, Neopolitan watched in silence as a member of the White Fang with short, dark blue hair entered Adam's tent. The girl was bigger than Neo, but by no means tall, standing at maybe five and a half feet tall, perhaps an inch or two shorter; what stood out the most to her was the fact that the girl was wearing a blindfold beneath her mask. Shuffling closer once more, Neopolitan did her best to observe Adam address his underling. 

"You wanted to see me, sir?" The shorter Faunus asked, shuffling in place as Adam approached, Neopolitan frowning as she saw him place a hand firmly on the girl's shoulder. 

"Sister Lycoris, I am told you performed admirably in your last mission." He spoke calmly, though there was that always underlying smugness to his tone, like he knew what he was doing and didn't really care about any consequences. If he wasn't such a bullheaded ass, Neopolitan might've even admitted it wasn't necessarily a bad attitude for a criminal to have. But he was, so she wouldn't. "With Sister Ilia now back in Menagerie, and… the  _ traitor _ no longer at my… at our side, I find myself in need of a new agent to assist me during stealth missions.”

“Sir?” The shorter Faunus, Lycoris, Neo noted, seemed rather hesitant as she spoke, head turning in the direction of the hand Adam had placed on her shoulder, though the bull Faunus didn’t seem to notice, or care, if he had. 

“Starting tomorrow, you’ll be one of my lieutenants, alongside Duane,” Adam continued, not at all phased by the uncertainty of his comrade. “While I know you still do not possess skills on par with some of our older members, I’ll make sure to take over your training personally to bring you up to speed.”

“I’ll… do the Faunus proud, sir.” Lycoris nodded. “Is that all?”

“Not quite.” Adam moved his grip to her upper arm, “I’ve heard of your… semblance. I need you to use it on me.”

“Sir?” Unsurprisingly, she sounded confused. Neo shifted ever so slightly closer, trying to get a good idea of what this apparently unusual semblance was. All she could see was Lycoris move her free hand up to her blindfold, though she didn’t remove it.

“That was an order, Sister Lycoris.” Adam clarified, the tone of his voice becoming somewhat hostile.

“I… Yes sir.” The shorter Faunus agreed, removing the blindfold hastily. Neo couldn’t tell exactly what was happening, but Adam seemed to seize up slightly, his hand visibly tightening around Lycoris’ arm, his expression blank aside from his mask. After a few minutes, the girl averted her eyes, and whatever malaise had overtaken Adam ended.

“I didn’t tell you to stop!” The bull Faunus snapped, the hand not currently latched around the girl’s arm striking her cheek, earning a startled yelp. “Next time, do not stop until I tell you to.”

“Next time?” The short Faunus managed to mumble out, head cast towards the floor as she nursed her cheek with her free hand, trying to shift away from her superior as much as she could despite the grip he had on her other arm.

“Yes. We’ll need to make these regular sessions.” Adam instructed, before finally letting go of Lycoris’ arm, not looking to care at all as the girl staggered back a few steps. “That will be all, Sister Lycoris. You are dismissed.”

“Yes sir…” She mumbled, quickly making her way out of the man’s “office.” Neo gave a short glance towards Adam, before letting her curiosity get the better of her and following after the blue haired Faunus. Unlike their commander, most of the White Fang had shared bunking areas when they weren’t busy, and that’s where it seemed Neo was being unwittingly led now. Neo continued to follow as silently as she could (which was pretty damn silent), her semblance continuing to shield her from the view of her curiosity’s target.

Things were going perfectly until some idiot scavenging on one of the upper floors dropped an iron rod, which decided to be as noisy as possible as it hit the ground, causing the now startled Faunus girl to turn and look around. Neo focused on her semblance to keep herself out of sight, but in the briefest moment that her eyes met with the blue haired girl, even if the Faunus wouldn’t have seen them, Neopolitan froze up. 

_ She wasn’t in Mountain Glenn anymore. It was Vale, and things were rainy. She felt small, frail. Weak. In front of her in the alley way was Roman, hands held to his side as he leaned against the wall, white coat stained with a deep crimson. “Hey, sweetheart.” The criminal mumbled, his breathing shallow as he reached out with one hand and patted her head slowly. “I think my luck’s finally run dry. You… You get to Junior, he’ll take care of you, okay?” _

_ Neopolitan shook her head, shutting her eyes tightly as tears threatened to break free. He was going to be fine, he was her dad he had to be fine he wouldn’t leave her. He was the one thing that had kept her safe and happy and she couldn’t lose that! Neo pushed his hand aside and desperately searched for his scroll, determined to call for help somehow, send a message or something! She couldn’t find it! Where was it? It was supposed to be here! Why was his breathing getting so shallow? It wasn’t supposed to do that, it hadn’t- _

**Wait.**

Neopolitan’s brow furrowed as she sent Hush lunging forward, blade still sheathed, and the last fragments of the illusion broke as the umbrella’s end made contact with the blue haired Faunus, who hadn’t the foresight to have her Aura up and dropped to the ground unconscious. 

Well. Crap. It looked like she was going to have a guest for the next little bit. Good thing the girl was pretty lightweight. The diminutive girl brought her semblance back up as she draped the Faunus over one of her shoulders. Had that been her semblance? Seeing… whatever that was?

Neopolitan frowned, clenching her umbrella a little tighter. That wasn’t going to happen. She’d saved him then, gotten help from Junior and he was okay. She’d never let things get that close again, she’d always be there to keep him safe. He had saved her, it was the least she could do, to keep him safe. 


	34. Group Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby reveals what she learned to the remainder of Teams RWBY and JNPR. Elsewhere, the seed of a new friendship is planted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all, sorry this is a bit late, but I hope you'll enjoy it. 
> 
> Please stay safe!

“So, what you’re saying… is that we should’ve been calling  _ you  _ “princess,” instead of Weiss?” Of all the reactions Ruby had been expecting from her revelation, the one Nora blurted out as soon as she’d finished was not what she’d thought would happen. 

“Um… sure?” Ruby replied in a mumble, her head ducking down slightly, as if she was trying to hide in her hood despite it not being up. Lunch with the rest of Team RWBY and JNPR had been the ideal time to share with them the revelation she’d received that morning alongside Yang, Pyrrha, and Jaune, but she hadn’t really expected any of them to take it so well as Nora evidently was. 

To be completely honest, she was still struggling to wrap her head around it; she had another uncle, not to mention a cousin! From her mom’s side of the family, too, the one that, until that morning, she had almost no knowledge of. How much else had she not been told about her mom? Her family?

“Nora,” Ren’s voice chimed in, softly chiding his partner. “You shouldn’t be calling either of them that, not unless it’s okay with them.”

“Okay!” The short redhead agreed with a cheery chirp, not at all bothered by her friend’s words, though Ruby knew that wasn’t because she had ignored them, but rather she wouldn’t fight him on something like that, because she didn’t want to offend anyone. 

“It  _ was _ a rather grating nickname the first few weeks here.” Weiss grumbled as she spoke up, giving Nora a leer worthy of Professor Goodwitch. “I don’t think that Ruby wants us to think any differently of her now that she knows her family is… far more significant than we were aware.”

“I… yeah.” Ruby nodded sheepishly, shooting a grateful smile to her partner for knowing the way to say what she had been struggling with. “I don’t want any of you to think differently of me. I’m the same Ruby you all knew yesterday, I just… have a lot bigger family than I knew, that’s all.”

“Of course, Ruby.” Ren said with a polite bow, a kind, though subtle, smile on his face. “We will treat you just as always, you’re our friend, and as far as Nora and I are concerned, that’s all that matters.”

“Yeah!” Nora exclaimed with a gleeful grin. “Who cares about any of that stuffy stuff, anyways? You’re our friend, and that’s that! If some stuffy jerk wants to give us trouble for that, well, I know right where to shove Magnhild!”

At that, Ren cleared his throat loudly, sending Nora a rather dire glare she seemed entirely oblivious of, the redhead laughing wildly. “That being said, Ruby, we should all prepare for some reactions from the other students.” He cautioned, his expression lightening into slight concern. “While we are your friends and know that this changes nothing, those more distant from you will likely react quite differently.”

“Yeah.” Ruby nodded, her mind drifting briefly to the story Professor Greene had told her about when Cardin’s dad asked out her mom. The thought of Cardin trying something like that with her left her feeling a bit nauseous, so she tried to dismiss it quickly. 

“Ren’s right.” Pyrrha agreed, speaking up from Ruby’s left, gently placing her hand atop her girlfriend’s and giving a reassuring squeeze. “While the official announcement was rather vague, not naming who the heir was, it won’t be hard for anyone to take their scroll and search up who the exact Councilman who issued the orders was. The dots won’t be hard to connect, so we should be ready for that.”

“How can we do that, though?” Ruby asked nervously, leaning against her girlfriend’s arm. “I… I’m not even sure how people will react. Will they be angry?”

“A few might be.” Pyrrha admitted, though she was quick to try and soothe Ruby’s saddened reaction. “Just like a few students grumbled about you being admitted early, a few might concoct some idiotic idea that you were admitted because of your family, and not by your own merit.”

“Only a few idiots would actually believe that at this point, though.” Weiss reassured, “you’ve more than proved yourself in class, even if we should keep working on that grade in Dust Science!”

“Yes, ma’am.” Ruby rigidly replied upon the stern look her partner was giving her, forewarning that many a night would be spent getting her caught up in that class as well. “Is there anything else we should worry about?”

“A few idiotic suitors, perhaps.” Weiss said with a shudder, obviously recalling a rather dismal time in her life back in Atlas. “That should die out after your uncle makes whatever official announcement about your relationship with Pyrrha and Jaune after the dance. That said, I doubt many students here will even try anything, given you three haven’t been super subtle about it, and there were already rumors about it last month after your excursion to that Argussean place.”

“Okay.” Ruby nodded slowly, a little relieved that it didn’t sound as though things would get  _ too _ unbearable. A lull overtook the conversation for a moment, and Ruby decided she might as well address the only member of their group that had been completely silent so far. “Hey, Blake, what’s your opinion on all this stuff?”

“It…” Blake’s voice wavered a little, and Ruby felt spectacularly terrible about singling her out like this, even if she hadn’t meant to. It was becoming rather clear that the Faunus was far more uncomfortable with the revelation than the others, and with the group’s attention focused on her, that was only making things worse. “It’s a lot to process, Ruby.”

“Blake?” Yang spoke up for the first time since the four of them had explained what happened that morning. “What’s wrong?”

“I just… I just don’t know what to think.” Blake’s ears fell flat against her head beneath the black bow disguising them as she spoke. Ruby didn’t blame her, this was a huge revelation, bigger than what Blake had done with hiding her identity behind a bow. That said, it didn’t make it sting any less that of all her friends, Blake seemed the most hesitant to accept it now. “I know you aren’t at fault, Ruby, and I’m glad you told us, I just… I need a little time.”

With that, much to Ruby’s dismay, Blake dismissed herself from the table before she could be stopped. As much as Ruby wanted to chase after, she knew that it would only make things worse for Blake to see her now; thankfully, Yang seemed to be thinking along those same lines, and had already stood up. “Hey, I’ll go see if I can help her get her head around this.” Her sister offered, giving a halfhearted smile. “I know things have been a little messy between us lately, but she’s my partner, and I’m sure I can get through to her about this.”

“Thanks, Yang.” Ruby said as her sister departed, offering a smile that couldn’t quite reach her eyes either. She was glad that Yang was willing to try, she just hoped that it would work out. An arm wrapped around her and pulled her into a one-armed hug. The redhead looked up to see Jaune offering a comforting smile, the blonde having scooted his chair a little closer so he could reassure her without making her move from their girlfriend. 

“It’ll be fine,” he insisted, sounding surprisingly confident. “If anyone can get through to Blake, I’m sure it’s Yang.”

“Thanks, Jaune.” Ruby mumbled quietly, a shy smile on her face. 

“Right! Well.” Weiss interjected rather loudly, her eyes averted from the trio as though their cuddling was unbearable to see. “I’m going to go see Winter. We had scheduled something together before this whole affair took up the morning, and I’d hate to miss out. Have a good day.”

“Oh, um. Have a good day, then!” Pyrrha called out, giving a perplexed wave. “That was odd.” 

“Nah,” Nora dismissed, before standing up quickly and wrapping her arm around Ren’s, dragging the Animan helplessly upwards. “You’re just kind of oblivious. Anyways, we’ll let you guys have some time for you three. See ya later!”

With that, Nora gave a cheery wave and began marching off, Ren in tow, the brunette giving a tired wave to the remaining three as they disappeared into the distance. 

“Well, what do you want to do now?” Jaune asked, shooting the other two a smile. 

“Let’s just stay here for now?” Ruby suggested, scooting a little closer to the two of them. “It’s nice and not crowded, so…”

“That sounds like a lovely idea, Ruby.” Pyrrha agreed, smiling gently. “We can process all of this later, let’s just have a little time to decompress.”

With that, the three of them were content to simply remain in the small private area Ruby had found for their teams’ lunches, cuddling with one another. 

* * *

Lycoris opened her eyes slowly, a quiet groan escaping her lips as she slowly shook her head; everything felt like it was ringing and her vision was blurry. What had happened? The last thing she remembered, she was walking back to her bunk after Commander Taurus had… met with her. The girl shuddered, bringing her hand back to the place on her other arm where he had gripped so tightly. 

She didn't recognize the room she was in, but it was definitely still in the abandoned mall the White Fang was currently occupying while clearing out the abandoned caverns for Commander Taurus. She didn't really understand why they were working with those strange humans, especially that bastard Torchwick, but those were their orders, and they would follow them. All of this was for the advancement of Faunus rights, they couldn't afford more traitors like Belladonna. 

She didn't even know who Belladonna  _ was, _ though going by the name she was likely related to the former High Leader. She had been recruited some time after the traitor had abandoned their Commander in the middle of a mission, and the older members tended to speak of her in hushed tones when the Commander wasn't around to hear. Commander Taurus only spoke of Belladonna when he was threatening - no, that wasn't right - imploring people of the importance of loyalty. 

She would be loyal, it wasn't as though she had anywhere left to go. The only real friend she'd had left Signal and her mother's condition had gotten worse, and the White Fang had doctors. They would help in exchange for her assistance, and while she might not have graduated the combat school on Patch, she was certainly more trained than the average grunt. That must've been why Commander Taurus had recognized her skill and chosen to take her under his wing! 

"So, Neo, what was so urgent you had to pull me away?" Lycoris' eyes widened as she heard the ever-smarmy voice of Roman Torchwick nearby, the Faunus doing her best to stand as she desperately returned her blindfold to its place over her eyes, her head still aching badly. Had she been hit? Commander Taurus hadn't gone so far, just the slap, which was her fault anyways. That didn't explain feeling so dazed. Stepping into the room she was currently in, Roman Torchwick's expression went flat, his short frenchwoman skipping up behind him. "Oh."

Before she could say anything, Torchwick turned to the diminutive girl beside him, giving a deadpan stare. "Neo, I already told you, no more strays." The man grumbled, earning a pout from his companion. "Already crowded enough around here without another kid to deal with."

His henchwoman responded by furiously tapping her umbrella against the ground, the man's expression changing. At first, Lycoris had trouble deciphering exactly what was going on, before she realized that the tapping was happening in patterns. She'd heard of this, though she had no experience with it herself; Faunus sometimes used it as a way to communicate that humans wouldn't understand, so it was more than a little surprising to see a pair of humans doing it, especially when she wasn't trained in it herself.

Lycoris jumped slightly where she stood as the short girl pointed her umbrella at her, before tapping the ground rapidly once more and giving an impatient look. After a moment, the Faunus managed to piece together that Torchwick's assistant was awaiting a response, and managed to stammer something out. "I, um. I don't understand what you're saying!"

"What?" Torchwick groaned, looking between the two before giving a defeated sigh. "Fine. Not like I have more important things to do or anything. Neo has some questions, but she's asking way too many at once, so let's start with your name."

"My name?" Lycoris mumbled, the thief giving her an impatient glare. "Um, Lycoris. Lycoris Asano."

"Alright, Lycoris, great to meet you or whatever." Torchwick waved his hand dismissively, though his companion sent him a withering glare he seemed unaffected by. "I am, of course, Roman Torchwick, and my associate here is Neopolitan."

"Nice to meet you?" Lycoris said cautiously, a bead of a sweat running down her face as she slowly prepared a build up of venom in her fangs. While it was true she didn't have the natural weapons some Faunus possessed, she was hardly defenseless while disarmed, and if Torchwick was going to try anything, he'd get a helping of venom spat into his face. 

"Yeah, yeah, sure, don't feel the need to lie for me, flattering as it is." Torchwick insisted, not even bothering to look at her. It was rather annoying, she couldn't tell at all what the reason she was here might be. "Okay, next question: how old are you?"

"Fifteen." She grumbled, trying not to let her speech be disrupted by the venom she was beginning to pool in her mouth. "Almost sixteen. Why?"

"Another fifteen year old?" Torchwick muttered, more to himself than at her, though that didn't keep her from hearing it. "What's with all the kids getting involved in this stuff, Neo? Don't give me that look you're at least seventeen, and you know how to handle yourself in a fight."

"I can handle myself in a fight!" Lycoris retorted, her voice somewhat distorted as she tried to speak around the venom. The problem with getting her venom ready to spit like this was the build up to actually letting it out. Maybe she shouldn't have been so quick to prepare, but she was dealing with Roman Torchwick, she couldn't trust him to not be up to any mischief. 

"What did I say about lying to me?" The thief snapped, the sudden shift in his tone from playfully dismissive to aggressive catching her off guard. "You can barely speak with that puddle in your mouth, and what'll it be good for? One attack? Worthless. And the. You'll go down in one hit again, too, and this time Neo won't be dragging you off to safety."

Lycoris blanched, mouth clamped shut as she tried to figure out what to do. Any pretense of a surprise attack was gone now, but other than the sudden onset of hostility from the thief, nothing had escalated, no weapons were drawn.

"Look, kid," Torchwick spoke again, his tone now more even, no longer mocking or hostile. "I get, I do, you wake up in a weird place, and of all the people to trust, I wouldn't trust me, either. I know, we're human, and your little club is all about how bad humans are, but we're allies, and I'm not interested in adding a fifteen year old kid to the list of people I've killed. I have standards, y'know? I like to think I'm better than that."

After a moment of hesitation, Lycoris took a deep breath through her nose, before spitting the venom onto the ground and looking up at him. He was right, unfortunately, and while she knew never to trust him to be genuine, she had lost any element of stealth, so there was no point in pretending otherwise. "What else do you want?" She asked quietly, doing her best to keep distance between herself and the human.

"Tut-tut," Torchwick chided, shaking his head slowly, the relaxed air returning almost immediately to his voice as he spoke. "I'm asking the questions, you're answering them. Next question: what did Bully Boy want with you?"

"Who?"

"Taurus! Your boss!!" Torchwick sighed exasperatedly, rolling his eyes. Pointing an index finger on each side of his head as though he had horns, the criminal continued. "Bully Boy! What'd he want with you?"

"I…" She hesitated for a moment, eyes drifting to Neo, who was frowning as she observed. "He wanted me to use my semblance on him."

“And what exactly is your semblance?” The thief asked, his expression changing so slightly she hadn’t caught it. While he kept on a nonchalant facade on his face, his eyes had narrowed so minisculely she had almost missed it. “It seems to have given Neo quite the fright.”

Lycoris’ eyes darted over to Neopolitan, who was giving Torchwick a surly, displeased look, as though she was embarrassed. It was kind of surprising, she would’ve expected something more professional, but the two seemed to have an almost familial dynamic. 

“It… It’s weird.” Lycoris mumbled, looking back towards the ground, bringing a hand to the blindfold on her head, though she didn’t remove it. “It makes you experience what you’re afraid of. For some people, it’s a sensation; for others, it’s a memory - or at least, something close to it - that you’re afraid of.”

“And which is it for Bully Boy?” Torchwick asked, brow raising as he leaned into his cane, looking at Lycoris as though he was analyzing every hair on her head. 

“A memory, I think.” She replied quietly, her hand returning to her arm as she recalled the tightness of her commander’s grip on her as she used her semblance. “With… with sensations, it usually causes a more immediate reaction. With memories, it… the response can be delayed, because the person experiencing them can become lost.”

“Lost, huh? Sounds useful.” The thief chuckled, before he stood back up properly, before looking over to Neopolitan for a moment. “Okay, Neo, she’s all yours. I think this’ll be plenty to ruminate on, and I’ve still got stuff to do before Matchstick starts getting on my back again.” 

As the man walked off, grumbling something about “stealing all the Dust in the damned city not being enough,” Neopolitan approached Lycoris, the Faunus stumbling backwards as the diminutive girl suddenly appeared much closer than she had been moments before. 

“Please don’t hurt me!” Lycoris blurted out almost instinctively, raising her arms to shield herself, though much to her surprise, no blows came. Lowering her guard, she found Neopolitan looking  _ almost  _ apologetic, trying to convey something to her she couldn’t understand. After a few seconds of pointing at where her head was feeling particularly sore, and apologetic looks, Lycoris got the impression that maybe Neopolitan was trying to help after apparently knocking her out earlier. “Oh, um. Thank you.”

With an exasperated sigh and rolling of the eyes that Lycoris found similar to Torchwick’s mannerisms, the shorter woman revealed a medical kit and went about patching up the bump on her head. It wasn’t particularly bad, but it was still nice that she was making an effort, and certainly not something that Lycoris was expecting from a human. 

“Hey, um.” As Neopolitan was making to leave, the Faunus spoke up. “Do you think you could maybe teach me that way you and Torchwick were talking? So we could talk?”

Raising a finger to her chin, the diminutive human looked to be pondering for a moment, before shrugging and nodding, before placing her finger where someone would normally have a watch. Sure, but she didn’t have time, Lycoris supposed. With that, she gave a wave before disappearing, leaving the Faunus alone, though she didn’t really want to go back to the group bunks. Admittedly, she worried that she might receive some negative attention for arriving late. She knew she’d have to go soon, but the idea of a little time to herself was nice.

* * *

Stepping onto the bridge of the  _ Arainrhod _ , August found his daughter awaiting his arrival, the automatons that made up the remainder of the vessel's crew at their stationary positions. "Braith." He addressed the young woman, who stood rigid as he passed, taking his seat in the center of the room. "I trust everything went well with the deployment of the guard?"

"Of course, father." His daughter replied, tone monotonous as always. At one time, when he still foolishly thought she might inherit, he had tried to make her… normal, but with the revelation that he had a niece who was the rightful heir, he had given up such endeavors. That was one of the many things he had argued with his sister about, before her disappearance. If only Summer could've understood the importance of the family's legacy, perhaps she never would've cut herself off from him. 

"How was your cousin?" He asked, his thoughts turning to his niece. Ruby was thankfully far more willing to listen to him than Summer ever had been, and it seemed that Ozpin hadn't whispered in her ear treacherous lies to turn her against him; if he played up the veneer of grateful uncle, which wasn't even truly a facade, she would likely do just as he needed. 

"Ruby was fine." Braith replied, before August gave her a look imploring she elaborate. He knew his daughter preferred to keep things brief, and in all honesty, he was perfectly content with that in most cases, but he needed more information. "She was interested in the VHKs, she'd never seen one before."

"I see." That was likely all he'd get from her, so he decided to continue asking questions instead of simply imploring she keep elaborating. "Is that all you talked about?"

"No." Braith stated plainly. "While she was interested in the guard, she was also curious about the  _ Arainrhod _ . She had never seen a Valean Dreigiau Carrier before, and expressed fascination. We also talked about my mother."

"Your mother?" August's eyes narrowed and he turned to look at his daughter. "What about your mother?"

"She was curious about her, so I explained that you had said she died giving birth to me." Yes. He had told her that, hadn't he? It wasn't true, but it was a good way to get her to stop asking about it when she was younger. In truth, he had no idea what had happened to her mother, they entered a business transaction and when it was concluded, went their separate ways, she with a sizable bounty of Lien, and he with a daughter. "She expressed sympathy, but I told her she didn't need to worry about it."

"Yes, that would be correct." August nodded, turning away from his daughter. Odd that her mother had been brought up at all, but perhaps he could use that for his advantage over guiding his niece on the right path? He hated the thought of treating Summer's death as a tool, but if it was for the greater good of the Kingdom and their dynasty, he would. "Thank you, Braith. You may return us to Caer Rhosyn."

"Of course, father." His daughter took her place on the bridge, using a terminal to access the machines that took the place of a proper crew. Admittedly, he didn't like them much, but he had to acquiesce to his daughter's point that the fewer crew they had, the less a chance one would turn against them. Much the same reason that he had favored automatizing the royal guard, it meant that things would answer to  _ him _ . Or, his daughter, anyways, but she was loyal to a fault, she would do anything for the royal family, just as he'd taught her year after year. 

As his daughter focused on guiding their return to the family's lands, August turned his thoughts on other things. His call with Councilman Orin had gone about as he'd expected, the Marshal of the Vale Defense Force irritated that he'd been superseded by the royal guard, but August was quick to bring him back on board by waxing poetic of the importance that the VDF continue manning the walls against the dangers beyond them. Until Torchwick's escape, the Council had been near evenly split on the matters at hand, with Ozpin ever urging for peace and calm while Orin was pushing for more extreme responses. While August might detest the headmaster of Beacon Academy, he did have to admit it was a better solution than Orin's desire to patrol the streets directly. 

The biggest issue, though, was still Ironwood. While he had shown up the General by deploying his own security forces, he also knew this would mean he would be required to coordinate with him, now. While his disdain for General Ironwood might not run as deep as it did for Ozpin, August would never trust a man so eager to occupy another Kingdom in the veneer of security. Perhaps that was a little hypocritical, given his own views on how Vale should act towards the rest of the world, but he'd heard that men with similar mindsets often bump heads, and that was certainly the case here. 

Perhaps he could use the General's obsession with being the one to defend all of Remnant to his advantage. Making a tool out of that felt far less wretched than making use of Summer's death, at the very least. 


	35. Overlook

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Weiss speaks with Winter, Yang helps Blake process what they've learned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little later than I'd like but it's a big one in return. Hope y'all enjoy it!

When Weiss had asked her sister if they could talk more after yesterday, she had been thinking it would be more about helping get Weiss on her feet with the next step of her Semblance. Now, of course, other things had taken the spotlight, but she wasn’t going to stop that from seeing Winter. The location where they’d be meeting had to be adjusted, unfortunately, but it allowed Weiss an unexpected glance into the life her older sister had chosen. 

The _ANS Valorous_ was an impressive sight on the inside, even the officer’s quarters her sister had been assigned were kept meticulously clean, with rather spartan decorations and bedding all pale white. Weiss was sitting on Winter’s cot, not an uncomfortable sleeping space by any means, but it was definitely far less giving than the mattresses at Beacon’s dormitories. Her sister was across from her, though she had opted not to sit in the small chair that was tucked into her desk. 

Winter didn’t like to sit down, something Weiss had noticed over the years living with her sister. It wasn’t that she couldn’t, but she preferred to be standing, to be doing something rather than nothing at all. Weiss often wished she could live up to her sister’s work ethic, but it had at more than one occasion caused problems as well. She could recall the days, back when Winter was younger, that their father would scold and shout and yell about how uncourteous her sister had been by being fidgety when seated. While she didn’t fidget any longer, likely because of the vile way their dad had treated her, Weiss still recognized that restlessness in Winter.

“So, no Penny today?” Weiss asked, hoping to break the awkward silence between the two of them by bringing up their mutual friend. 

“No, unfortunately not.” Winter chuckled, actually _chuckled_ at the comment. Wow, maybe being friends with Penny was helping more than just herself. “She is being introduced to her new team today.”

“Her new team?” Weiss couldn't help but inquire further. While she knew that her redheaded friend was intended to compete in the Vytal Festival, she wasn’t exactly sure what her team situation was, given she’d come to Vale without permission, on her own. “What can you tell me about them?”

“The “them” is only one person, not the proper amount to make a proper team.” Winter explained first, pacing slightly. That was quite irregular, so Weiss wasn’t surprised that Winter had pointed it out. It wasn’t as though every Huntsmen team managed to graduate with a full team, but that was because of drop outs, or… unfortunate losses during training missions. The idea of a team with only two members from its onset? That was quite peculiar. 

“Well, I’m surprised that General Ironwood was allowed to sign them up to the Vytal Festival that way.” Weiss commented, brow furrowed slightly. 

“It took some… interesting interpretation of the rules.” Winter admitted, turning to face her sister. “Her partner is named Ciel Soliel, she was originally intended to lead a team last year, but there was an incident during initiation and she was required to spend several months in recovery. So General Ironwood is using the clause in the tournament’s rules that allows smaller teams when there has been an injury.”

“I’m surprised the other headmasters agreed to that.” Weiss said, eyes widening a little in surprise. She had never expected General Ironwood to be the sort of person to twist the rules like that. Perhaps Professor Ozpin, after how laid back she’d seen him so far during her time at Beacon, but General Ironwood was the picture of strictness when it came to the rules.

“Yes, I’m sure it took some persuasion, but the General is determined in demonstrating Penny’s capabilities to the world.” Winter agreed, beginning to pace again. “She is… special. And General Ironwood wishes to make sure that people know.”

“I… trust that he is doing what he is for the best.” Weiss replied, trying not to express her discomfort. Penny was a wonderful girl, but she wasn’t sure that her friend was quite so interested in the spotlight. Then again, she did seem quite keen on the idea that her purpose was "saving the world." The thought of that troubled Weiss, especially after what they'd experienced with Torchwick, and the fact that the criminal was at large again thanks to the White Fang. 

Was there something bigger going on, that Penny was supposed to play a role in? She didn't want that of her friend... to be used as a pawn. Penny was a person, and she deserved a choice in that. But Penny seemed content in that role, and Weiss wasn't sure she could open her perspective enough to change that.

"I'm sure it is." Winter said, sounding quite adamant about it, though she wasn't annoyed by the comment. "The General… his decisions may seem bold and overzealous at times, Weiss, but I know that he is doing what's the best for all of us. If there is one thing I can say for certain, it's that the General has the people of Remnant in his heart. What he does, he is doing for all of us, just as Atlas is doing all it can for the world."

"That… that sounds like a grand ideal." It took a moment for Weiss to respond, though her sister didn't seem to mind at all. She wasn't sure how to continue the discussion, as she felt a bit awkward after hearing how proud Winter was of the general and his goals. Thankfully, an idea crossed her mind, and she looked to her sister with a smile. "Winter, do you think you can tell me about your first time summoning? I know that you achieved it earlier than I have, but I want to try and understand the mindset you might've been in."

"The first time that I managed to summon?" Winter sounded a bit perplexed, but was willing to try it out. Sitting down beside her sister (at last), the older Schnee looked to be pondering for a moment. "I was… fifteen years old, I believe. Father had been scolding me for spurning one of the suitors he'd picked out in favor of practicing my sword play."

Weiss noticed her sister frown, and her own expression fell slightly. She hadn't meant to bring up bad memories.

"Father… struck me." Winter admitted after a moment, eliciting a gasp from the younger girl. "I was… I was so enraged. Who was he, to cast me as the villain for being true to who I am? I was Winter Schnee, not… his tool. Something for advancing his agenda..

"At that moment, when I knew _who_ I was, I think…" Winter's voice drew on for a moment, before she nodded, continuing her explanation. "I think it was in that moment, when I accepted that who I was didn't fall into what father had planned for me, that something clicked. Father found himself thrown from the room by a Beowolf, and soon enough, he began training you to take my place."

"Father… struck you?" Weiss finally managed to get out, a growing sense of horror. She would've been… nine. It was just before her father had shown his true colors at her tenth birthday, but perhaps he'd already been showing them other times. She never recalled their father becoming physical with her, though she couldn't deny he had verbally berated her many times, and on more than one occasion she'd found herself sobbing alone in her room, or actively avoiding him when able. 

"Yes." Winter said, sounding a bit firmer than she had before. It didn't feel reassuring to hear her sister's tone become rigid, though; rather, it left Weiss feeling more worried than she had been before. She wasn't sure what to do, whether or not she should try to press her sister to talk more about what happened, but Winter continued speaking after a moment of silence. "I think that is what is missing, Weiss. You haven't figured out who you are, yet. You've made progress, but you're still shaped by father's desires for you."

"Winter…" Weiss scooted a bit closer to her sister, attempting to emulate the sort of reassuring affections she'd seen between Ruby and Yang, but she wasn't entirely sure what to do. After a few seconds, she wrapped her arms around her sister, the older woman going completely rigid for a moment, before cautiously patting the top of her head. After almost half a minute of silence, she broke the hug, looking into her sister's eyes and trying to look confident as she spoke. "I love you, Winter. I'll… I'll try to look into figuring out who I am."

"I… Thank you, Weiss." Winter replied, her voice as uncertain as her movements. "I would do anything for you, so don't feel afraid to ask."

"I won't." Weiss replied fondly, looking away from her sister and towards the wall. "I learned something interesting today, about my partner."

"Oh? What is it? Something to be worried about?"

"Oh, no! Well, I suppose maybe a little, but it's not her fault." Weiss chuckled, shaking her head. "Ruby is… how to explain it... what has General Ironwood said about the deployment of the Valean automatons around Beacon?"

"Only that he finds it an outrageous display of the lack of trust a member of Vale's Council has in him." Winter stated plainly, a single black brow raising in curiosity. "Councilman August Rose, if I recall correctly. Oh. Is your partner related to him?"

"Yes, though that's only part of it." Weiss nodded. "Do you know what seat of Vale's Council he holds?"

"I'm afraid not. The politics of Kingdoms beyond our own has never been a hobby of mine to study."

"He holds the regent seat for the royal family, until such a time that the heir is of age to take it." Weiss explained, her sister's expression changing ever so slightly as though she was trying to determine exactly what the younger of the two was getting at. "While he is of royal blood, Vale's monarchy is matrilineal, and the throne was intended for his younger sister, and after her passing, her daughter."

"Your partner, I assume?" Weiss nodded at Winter's question, the older Schnee pursing her lips slightly as she pondered the situation. "I can see how that might complicate things, without it being her fault. She was… most indecorous." 

"Yes, that's true." Weiss chuckled at her sister's observation. "I'm going to do my best to get her adjusted to things, seeing as she had no knowledge of this until this morning. It's the least I can do after all the help she's given me."

Winter looked to be considering Weiss' words for a moment, before she nodded slowly. "Yes, I'd agree. She certainly has given you a lot."

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" Weiss pouted at the unexpected levity in her sister's tone, getting the distinct impression her sister might be teasing her.

* * *

The walk back to the dorms was awkward for Ruby, Jaune and Pyrrha, to say the least. Even Ruby could tell that the students they passed throughout the campus were more than a little uncomfortable with the additional security that her uncle had brought to the academy. Even the students from other schools could tell that something was amiss, those in and out of uniforms giving the newly added machines suspicious leers.

What was more unusual, though, was the fact that Cardin was waiting outside her dorm room. The three of them had planned to stop by for a moment so Ruby could have a chance to change into something more comfortable than her school uniform, but instead, they now found themselves staring down the leader of Team CRDL, the towering boy looking surprisingly nervous as he waited around. 

"Oh! Good. You're here." Cardin bumbled out, scratching at the back of his neck awkwardly, before his expression fell. Jaune and Pyrrha were giving him rather deserved glares, but Ruby felt a little bit of pity for him. He clearly didn't want to be here, but here he was anyways. "Right, uh. Is it fine if I talk with Rose, here?"

"You can talk to all of us, Cardin." Pyrrha was quick to reply, stepping in front of Ruby and Jaune. 

"I… yeah, that's fine." Cardin nodded, his eyes drifting towards the ground. Ruby couldn't blame the immediately protective reaction from her girlfriend, even if she didn't feel like she needed protection by any means. She knew Cardin had been trying to get better, heck, he'd even tried to apologize to Jaune soon after, but her boyfriend hadn't accepted the attempt. 

"So, um, what's up?" Ruby asked, hoping to help push through the awkward silence that was starting to take hold.

"I should probably start with an apology, since you're all here." Cardin started, looking as though he was struggling to keep any confidence. "I know I've apologized before, but… I still owe it to you. To all of you."

"You want to apologize again?" Jaune snapped, stepping forward with an uncharacteristic glare. It wasn't often that Jaune was angry, in fact, Ruby didn't think she'd ever seen him so aggressive. It wasn't bad that he was or anything, she didn't blame him for his attitude towards Cardin. Heck, she really wasn't a fan of the former bully, either, she'd made that much clear at the arcade. 

"Look, I… I messed up a lot. I'm not going to try and excuse it by spinning some pity party about my upbringing or anything." Cardin grumbled, his gaze now shifting towards the ceiling. Jaune and Pyrrha were continuing to glare, though Ruby's expression was slowly shifting more towards curiosity. "I'm sorry. For being an asshole, for all the bullying and acting like you didn't deserve to be here. Even… Even if you cheated your way into Beacon, you're a hell of a better Huntsman that I am, Jaune."

"I… thanks." Jaune replied, sounding a bit awkward himself. 

"Look, I'm not asking to be friends or anything." Cardin blurted out, his face somewhat downcast, much to their mutual surprise. "I know that I… I'm nowhere near the kind of person yet who you would be friends with, but I hope that we can at least put what happened behind us. I don't want to be enemies any longer. Even if we never become friends, I'd at least like to say that if we were on the same battlefield, we could trust each other."

"I don't know if I can accept that, Cardin." Jaune admitted after a few seconds of silence, before offering a hand. "But I would be glad to at least put everything behind us. What happens later, we'll see."

Cardin looked to Pyrrha, who seemed rather hesitant to agree to what Jaune had said, before she offered a curt nod. Ruby smiled slightly as the taller boy shook her boyfriend's hand, and the two made their agreement. "Right, thanks. Um… anyways, I did mean it when I said I wanted to talk to Rose." 

"I got a message from my dad this morning. He might not be a member of the Council, but he has connections in high places." Cardin reached behind his back to pull the scroll from his pocket. There was a message on it, though it wasn't easy to make out what was said. Pyrrha cleared her throat, and he took it rightfully as an indication that he should probably hurry up.

"Right. Sorry." He was still clearly nervous, it was kind of weird to see, in Ruby's opinion. After years of dealing with him being a constant terror to her and some of the other students at Signal, seeing him so… reserved was unusual. "My dad found out, uh, _why_ the Council was deploying the royal guard, or, rather, _who_ they were being deployed to guard." 

The three of them froze, Jaune and Pyrrha shifting in front of Ruby protectively once more. While she understood that it was a troubling idea that Cardin was already aware of her newly revealed status, but, she wasn't as concerned about it as her boyfriend and girlfriend. They seemed to recognize that they were perhaps a little over concerned, given his clear desire to not cause further issues. 

"My, uh, my dad sent me instructions that I was to, uh, try "courting" the current heiress," Cardin began to explain, before cowering back as Pyrrha took a step forward, giving the taller boy a severe look that seemed to send shivers down his spine. "I-I'm not going to!" He was quick to affirm, waving his hands desperately in some clumsy attempt at reassuring them. "I know that you three are… happy with whatever it is you've got, even if I don't really get it. My dad might see this as an opportunity to improve the family's station more but I'm… I don't know, I just don't feel comfortable with that."

Jaune and Pyrrha seemed to relax slightly at Cardin's words, though Ruby could still tell that they were a bit on edge. She didn't blame them, Cardin had done little to endear himself to any of them, save confess this. She wasn't sure how to respond, but she was grateful for his honesty now. 

"Look, I… I know you guys have no cause to trust me, but please, I… I know that I messed up a lot," Cardin mumbled. He was having trouble looking at them, finding the floor far more interesting than the suspicious leers of Jaune and Pyrrha. "I don't want to be that person anymore, even if my father wants me too."

"Thank you." Ruby said cautiously, much to the surprise of her partners. "I know that it must've taken a lot of courage to stand up to your dad like that."

"I, uh, haven't really told him yet, but… I will." Cardin admitted, clearly a little ashamed. Ruby didn't think he should be, really. She couldn't imagine being in a situation where her dad was trying to… use her like that. It reminded her a little of how Weiss talked about _her_ father. "Anyways, I should get going. I just wanted to warn you. If my dad was able to figure this out, he definitely won't be the only one."

"Yeah, thanks, Cardin." Ruby repeated as the towering boy left. Looking to Pyrrha and Jaune, she smiled nervously. "I hope that was okay."

"Of course it was, Ruby." Pyrrha was quick to reassure. "While I may not like him, I… appreciate that Cardin let us know."

"Yeah." Jaune agreed, offering a halfhearted smile. "He could've just done nothing, not let us know. Heck, he could've even tried to make a move on you."

The three of them simultaneously shivered at that thought, before chuckling together at their shared reaction. "Thankfully, he didn't do that." Ruby smiled. "I'm glad he's trying to change for the better. I was skeptical at the arcade."

"I think we all were. I know I still am." Jaune admitted, his smile fading slightly. "We should get going, too. You wanted to change, right?"

"Oh! Yeah!" Ruby nodded vigorously, having completely forgotten what they'd been stopping there for after talking to Cardin. "I'll be quick! Promise!"

* * *

"Blake?" The Faunus looked up at the sound of her partner's voice. Yang was quiet, tender… she always seemed to care so much, even when she shouldn't. The blonde sat beside her, looking out at the Emerald Forest from where she had been sitting on the cliffs. It wasn't the first time she came here, when she was feeling particularly introspective. It was nice to watch the moonrise. "You know, if you're not careful, you might fall."

Blake rolled her eyes, not able to hide a small smirk. Just like her partner to say something silly as soon as she recognized that the Faunus wasn't intending on avoiding her any more than she already had. "Hey, Yang."

"Y'know, I think I get why you come out here." Yang said, hands on her hips as she looked over the expanse of green with a smile on her face, before sitting down beside her, letting her legs dangle gently. "It's really easy to forget how beautiful Remnant can be, with how hard a place it can be."

"Yeah." Blake nodded softly, her smile becoming a little more comfortable as she joined her partner in observing the forest. They hadn't actually returned there since initiation, though there was talk that Professor Port might be planning a few expeditions for their year. It was far too early to appreciate the beauty of the moon as it made its way up in the distance, but even still, the sky was remarkably beautiful, not too cloudy, but enough that the blue was interspersed with puffs of white. 

"I used to do something like this, back home at Patch." Yang chuckled, though there was a clear sadness behind it. Blake reached over, placing her hand gently over her partner's, offering her a reassuring smile. "It was uh… back where mom is buried. She's on the edge of a cliff, she used to take me and Ruby out there, when we were little, and we'd look at the sea. It was her favorite place on the island."

"I would go out there, after she passed." She said softly. "It… It helped, sometimes."

"Yang…" Blake wasn't sure what to say, what to _do_ , other than be there for her partner, who had a melancholy look in her eyes as she continued to look out at the Emerald Forest.

"I couldn't do anything else, y'know?" Yang muttered, blinking as her eyes took on the telltale shimmer of tears she was trying to hold back. "Ruby… Ruby was too young to understand, really, and dad? If I brought it up to dad, he'd just shut down again. So I'd just go to where… to where mom was buried, and I'd look over the ocean like she was still there with us."

"I'd talk to her, even if she couldn't answer." The blonde continued, her voice somewhat strained. "I'd tell her about how things were going, about how much I missed her. About our birthdays, Ruby's first day at school. Anything I thought she'd want to know, really."

"I told her how much I hated myself, the way I was." Yang said softly. "How much I'd been born a… born the way I wanted to be. About my first appointments with the doctor. I… I buried my first pill bottles beside her, when I'd finished them."

"Yang, you don't…" Blake started, only for her partner to cut her off with a sad look.

"No, I… I really do." Yang insisted, giving the sort of forced smile the Faunus knew well. "It helps to talk to someone, I think. I… I know that it sucks, but… it helps. I like to think she could hear me, wherever she is, now."

"I'm sure she could." Blake reassured, brushing her thumb on Yang's hand gently. "And I'm sure she'd be proud of you, Yang."

"Yeah. Sometimes, at least." Yang sighed, looking up towards the sky as a lone black bird flew overhead. "I make mistakes, y'know? Remember that time I told you about, when I almost got Ruby killed?"

"You almost got yourself killed, too." 

"Yeah." Yang didn't sound like she cared about that as much as Blake would like her to. The Faunus grabbed her friend's hand a little tighter, the blonde turning to look back at her, still struggling to hold back tears. "I… I just wanted my mom, Blake, and so I took Ruby with me and went searching for the woman who gave birth to me. I don't… I don't want to say she isn't my mother, but… she certainly isn't Summer."

"I didn't find her that day." Yang's eyes drifted back towards the forest, a frown on her face. "But I certainly managed to find the Grimm."

"It wasn't your fault." Blake insisted. "You were just a child."

"That didn't matter to the Grimm." Yang mumbled, before she shut her eyes for several seconds. Letting out a loud sigh, she turned to face Blake, a sudden smile across her face. "Right! We didn't come here to talk about me, did we? We're here for you."

"Yang…" Blake suddenly felt nervous, and averted her gaze. "I don't know what to say…"

"Why don't we start with what was wrong at lunch?" Yang asked, a gentle smile on her face. Blake wasn't sure how Yang managed to change so abruptly from sad to happy, it was worrying in all honestly. She wanted to make sure her friend was okay, but knew that she wouldn't let the topic change again. 

"It's…" 

"Complicated?"

"Yeah." Blake mumbled, looking the other way, her cheeks warming a little in embarrassment. 

"That's fine," Yang insisted, lilac eyes wide with a warmth that always managed to calm the Faunus. "Take as long as you need, Blake. I'm here."

"Thanks, Yang." Blame mumbled, silence taking over while she tried to think of what she might say to make sense of her thoughts. In the calm, she leaned over slowly, resting against Yang's shoulder, the slightest gasp of air the only hint the blonde made that she noticed what happened. Blake smiled a little, her breathing slow and steady as she finally spoke. "I'm scared."

"Of what?" Yang asked, her arm wrapping around the Faunus in a gentle embrace, careful not to disturb her position. 

"It's… I've… I've told you about Adam, right?" Blake eventually asked, shame knotting in her stomach as she spoke of the man. "I… I'm scared, Yang. About Adam, but… also about Ruby. About her uncle."

"Why?" Yang sounded a little surprised, not that the Faunus could blame her. It was hard to think anyone could be scared of Ruby, the younger girl was so determined to be nice and do good it felt unreal at times. 

"Adam… Adam would talk a lot about his family, when we were alone." Blake confessed, the blonde gently giving her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "He… He used to tell me that he was destined to be king. That it was his birthright."

"His birthright?" Yang shifted slightly towards Blake, her embrace tightening ever so slightly. "Why does he think that?"

"He called himself a bastard." Blake admitted, frowning. He had always been vague, only claiming that he was supposed to be a king, how his mother had been abandoned by his father for having "the wrong child." She couldn't imagine what that meant, but given recent revelations… "He never knew his father, but he said his mother told him tales of how he had the blood of kings in his veins."

"The blood of kings?" Yang scoffed a little at that notion, though her dismissive attitude seemed to fade quickly as it dawned on her. "You think that has something to do with Ruby? With her family?"

"It's just…" Blake exhaled, shaking her head slowly as her eyes drifted towards her lap, away from Yang. "I told Ruby once that when I first saw her, I was reminded of Adam. Her semblance… her hair… what if… what if I was right? What if they're related?"

"So what?" Yang asked after a moment of silence. "Adam? You haven't told me a lot, Blake, but I know that he was a jerk to you, and Ruby is nothing like that. She's… she's kind, and compassionate, she's a bit naive sometimes, and all she wants to do is help people. She's still reading that book, y'know? That one Tukson sent you."

"She is?" Blake was surprised at that revelation. She knew that their team leader had read a little of _The Third Crusade_ , but that she was still reading it was a surprise. It wasn't Ruby's typical storybook style preference, that much was for sure. "I… I hadn't realized."

"It's fine, she's been trying to do it subtly." Yang reassured with a small smile, her thoughts obviously drifting towards Ruby. "She's trying to do everything she can to understand where the White Fang are coming from, to not just see them as some monolith. I'm… I'm really proud of her. I know I probably wouldn't have done that in her position."

"I… I'm glad that she's making an effort to do that." Blake admitted, the ears at the top of her head slumping slightly before Yang tightened the embrace a little. "I'm sorry. For getting my thoughts so mixed up about Ruby. I just… as much as I don't want her to, I feel reminded of Adam by her sometimes. The way I was told he used to be, before Sienna began shaping him into a weapon. If someone so keen on doing good, on protecting the Faunus from mistreatment can be turned to seeing violence as the only solution, what's to stop Ruby from being turned as well?"

"That's why we're here, Blake." Yang said confidently, lilac eyes firm in their conviction. "We're here to make sure Ruby won't be taken down the wrong path. We'll stand beside her, and if she ever strays, we'll guide her back. I don't… I don't have the same worries you do, about Ruby being twisted into something she's not, but I do worry about her being manipulated. Her uncle? I don't trust him for a minute."

"He's your uncle, too, right?"

"No. He isn't." Yang spat out, though her aggression was clearly aimed towards the man they were speaking about, not Blake. "He can pretend all he wants when Ruby is around, but I could see the contempt he had for me. For Pyrrha and Jaune. I don't know what he's planning for my sister, but I'm sure it won't be good, so I'm going to make sure to keep her facing forward, towards her dreams."

"I'll be there, too, then." Blake replied, giving the blonde a reticent smile, though it grew more genuine as Yang returned one of her own. "What are we going to do, then? To make sure that Ruby is safe."

"For now?" Yang clarified, not that she needed to. Looking out at the Emerald Forest once more, she sighed, shaking her head. "There's not a whole lot we can do."

"There has to be some way we can help." 

"Until he shows more of his hand, our best bet is just to keep working as a team." Yang declared. "We don't know his plans yet, but we do know that the less influence he has over her, the better. There's also…"

Blake's brow furrowed as her partner trailed off, the blonde's confidence fading as her cheeks took on a pink hue. "Also?" The Faunus asked, hoping to elicit a response from her friend. "Yang, you can tell me, I promise I won't complain."

"It's just, uh…" Oh, goodness, Yang's whole face seemed to be red. The blonde looked at Blake with a nervous smile. "I, um, just hear me out. August is planning something for the dance a month from now, some publicity stunt with Pyrrha's agent so they can try to gain control of the narrative or whatever, but I don't trust for a second that's all he intends."

"Are you..?" Blake was starting to put together where this was going, and a nervous knot seemed to take hold of her stomach. 

"Look, if we both go to the dance, we can keep a closer eye on what happens." Yang suggested sheepishly. "We don't have to go together. Well, together-together. We can just go as friends or whatever, like, to help each other keep an eye on Ruby's uncle or whatever."

Wow. Yang was really cute when she got nervous. Normally unseen freckles seemed to be visible whenever her face took on a large blush, and it was different seeing her normally put together teammate stammering and flustered like the protagonist of one of her novels. "Yang…" Blake started, drawing it out as she spoke. As appealing as her partner was, the Faunus still couldn't shake the hesitation she'd had before, on account of her past experiences, and she slowly exhaled. "I would be happy to help you keep an eye on things at the dance. And… maybe I can save you a dance, if we have the time."

"You mean it? Awesome!" Yang blurted out, before her face turned the deepest hue of scarlet the Faunus had seen yet. "Right, uh, thank you. For agreeing to my plan to keep an eye on Ruby! You're way better at observing things than I am."

"It's because you keep getting distracted by something." Blake teased with a smirk, which only made her partner more flustered. 

"I, um, yeah. I'll… endeavor not to be at the dance!" Yang reassured, before starting to scramble upwards. "Right, I should go. Leave you to your um… sightseeing."

As the blonde made to leave, Blake reached out and grabbed her hand, keeping her down, Yang responding with a confused look. "Hey," Blake mumbled out, resting her head against her partner's shoulder again. "Let's just stay like this for a while."

"Um… yeah." Yang sheepishly agreed, before she slowly wrapped her arm back around her partner's shoulder. "As long as you want."

* * *

"Well, this got a lot more complicated." Mercury announced plainly as he strolled into their dorm, hands behind his head casually as he made his way to his bed and sat down. "The whole campus is swarming with Valean bots, and they look a lot meaner than the toys the Atlesians brought along."

"It's irrelevant." The disheveled boy straightened up at the sound of Cinder Fall, who was currently finishing up adding Dust to another outfit, this one looking a bit more practical than her typical dresses. "Once the virus enters the system, we will have complete control. New, stronger robots simply mean more casualties."

He hated the way she smiled as she said that, something about that smile reminded him too much of his father and it just made his skin crawl. "Right. Uh, I think these ones are-"

His voice cut off as the room suddenly felt ten degrees warmly, and the air dried up considerably. "Did you hear that, Emerald? He thinks!" Amber eyes narrowed, before turning to their other comrade, who, in Mercury's opinion, had been trying to make herself as small as possible. "What was it I said about thinking, Emerald?"

"Not to think, ma'am." The red-eyed girl stumbled out, her voice quavering as she spoke. Mercury wasn't sure what he hated more, the way Cinder treated Emerald, or the fact that the girl just put up with it. It didn't make sense, Emerald's semblance would make it so easy to run, and yet she stuck around anyways, clinging to one sided familial affection. 

"That's right." The brunette replied, her eyes turning towards Mercury once more. "Now, Mercury, what else do you have to report on?"

Fine, she wanted to ignore his advice for the most bare bones of knowledge? He could work with that. "Some bigwig from the Council was here when the new bots, chatting with Ozpin and some of the students: Rose and her associates." Mercury explained, returning to a more casual position laying back as he spoke. "Looks like Taurus made some waves freeing Torchwick."

"As to be expected." Cinder waved dismissively, which served to only make the teen more frustrated. "Is there anything else of importance?"

"General Ironwood stormed into Ozpin's office soon after the Councilman left, presumably because he didn't like being reminded that his crap is useless." Mercury announced with a shrug. "That's all I could find. Too many people all freaked out about the new additions to make eavesdropping reliable."

"Very well, then." Cinder replied dismissively, before putting down what she'd been working on and taking out her scroll. Mercury watched on out of the corner of his eye as their boss typed away, before setting the device on speaker. "Roman." Cinder spoke with that faux-alluring tone she used whenever she was clearly impatient. "I hope you've got good news to report?"

"Jeez, I get out of prison and already landed a job. What luck." Mercury could practically _hear_ the man's eyes rolling, their thief compatriot far more willing to respond with sass when he wasn't facing the threat of immediate immolation. "Good news is, despite having tunnel vision so tight I'm surprised he can see at all, Bully Boy has managed to keep things going well enough in my absence. We should have the tracks cleared up by next week."

"Good." Cinder continued to speak with that annoyingly condescending tone of voice, Mercury half-tempted to roll his eyes as well. "And will progress continue at the proper pace despite your… vacation?"

"At the proper pace?" Roman sounded like he was offended at the assertion. "They'll be ready to go ahead of time, thanks to all the Dust _I_ stole, you're welcome for that again."

Mercury smirked slightly, though he was careful not to laugh. As insufferable as the thief could be, he at least managed to make things a little more entertaining than they had been. Of course, he wouldn't want to work with the man long term, that would be insufferable, but little bursts like this were enjoyable. 

"Exactly what I wanted to hear, Roman." Cinder hung on the first word, her lips forming that ever-irritating smile as she spoke. "I expect you to report back every week, and to make sure that everything is ready to go before I have to come down there myself and… light a fire underneath you."

"Yeah, yeah, we wouldn't want that." Roman retorted, before Cinder hung up the scroll and turned her attention towards Emerald once again. "Emerald, I have a task for you."

"Of… of course, ma'am!" Any levity in Mercury's expression faded as his colleague began immediately bent to Cinder when spoken to. "Anything you need, I'm happy to help!"

"Good." Cinder gave what Mercury could only call the fakest smile he had ever seen, even if Emerald was eating it up eagerly. "I need you to feign a friendship with Little Red, your previous efforts have had little to show for it. Whatever she's involved in for Ozpin, I want to know."

"Y-Yes ma'am!" Emerald stammered out, nodding intently. "Whatever you need!"

"Mercury," the teen looked over as Cinder addressed him, his expression back to the forced confidence he applied whenever he could. "I need you to help Emerald here. I'm afraid she doesn't have the experience or training needed to pull that off."

"Yeah, sure." Mercury grumbled, trying not to look at the stricken look on Emerald's face, or how she then glared at him as though it was his fault. "I'll make sure she gets it done."

With her instructions given, Cinder returned to her needle and thread with a disconcerting smirk, and Mercury did his best to ignore the woman as he stood up and beckoned that Emerald follow. They were going to have a lot of work to do to pull this off.


End file.
